Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank both Deputies for raising this very important issue on health care provision and service. As both Deputies will know, in 2011 a national policy and strategy for the provision of neuro-rehabilitation services in Ireland was set out for a four year period from 2011 to 2015, and the Health Service Executive established the clinical rehabilitation medicine programme by way of a number of initiatives in that area. Many people believe the key to success of these developments is the approval and assignment of regional rehabilitation medicine consultants, which was the point raised by Deputy Murphy. I want to put on record, because it is important to do so, that the number of rehabilitation medicine consultants nationally increased from seven to 12 in 2013 with the appointment of five new national and regional specialists currently taking up posts, a point I will return to later. Specialist inpatient and outpatient units have been identified to operate in each of the four current Health Service Executive regions, with clinical governance and expertise provided by the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

I understand the National Rehabilitation Hospital has put in place a number of new initiatives to address the issues raised by the Deputies. The first is a pooled shared waiting list so that, whereas previously the patient waited for the consultant he or she was under, the patient now waits with everyone else and, as availability arises, he or she is dealt with. Second, the early access rehabilitation unit caters for patients whose treatment programme can typically be completed in a shorter period, which enables increased throughput of patients with less complex needs. Third, the National Rehabilitation Hospital actively manages the waiting time for admission to the high intensity rehabilitation beds, and the current average waiting time for admission is down from 273 days to 148 days, so obviously some progress has been made under the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

The Government has committed to part-funding a 120 bed rehabilitation unit with integrated therapy spaces to replace the existing National Rehabilitation Hospital at an estimated total cost of €54 million. The national clinical programme for neurology has reviewed the demand and capacity for access to neurology consultants for adult services. Consultants have been appointed to seven of the proposed ten additional posts over the past 18 months. The remaining three consultant posts are in various stages of the national recruitment process. One consultant neurologist has commenced in paediatric services, along with two additional consultant paediatric neuro-physiologists.

The HSE has made commitments in the 2014 operational plan on the implementation of the neuro-rehabilitation strategy. A steering group has been established to guide its implementation and ensure adequate links with the clinical rehabilitation medicine programme.

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