Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Guím Nollaig shona ar an Leas-Cheann Comhairle agus ar an Aire chomh maith le gach duine eile anseo sa Teach. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for choosing this matter for discussion and the Minister for being present.

The Minister got in first by saying there are so many demands in different areas of health, which clearly is true but I wish to make two initial comments. I acknowledge that there have been improvements in the services available for stroke victims in the past number of years, in particular in the past three years. I also acknowledge that it is difficult to deal with everything. However, good interventions for stroke victims, especially younger victims, pay off. These interventions bring a benefit to the State and I think the Minister would accept that point.

Stroke is the third most common cause of death in Ireland but audits have shown huge shortcomings in the nation's stroke services. Approximately 2,000 people die from stroke each year and they account for more deaths than breast cancer, lung cancer and bowel cancer combined. Proper rehabilitation in the community could make a major difference to these patients and, ultimately, save the State many millions of euro. Research carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland found that 54% of stroke survivors, approximately 3,000 people per year, could benefit from early supported discharge programmes. This would reduce hospital bed days by 24,000 and lead to a saving annually of between €2 million and €7 million.

Early supported discharge is used in many countries worldwide. It involves an intensive approach to rehabilitation. Unfortunately, it is not usually available in Ireland. The report notes that if it were to be properly introduced here, there would need to be a major investment in community staff such as physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and community nurses.

If the additional staff were to be provided, the tools they use would have to be greatly advanced and modernised. In the Baggot Street centre where survivors are trained to get back to work, the IT equipment is totally out of date. Patients need constant physiotherapy and while this is driven on a personal level, it is greatly assisted if facilities are also provided in rehabilitation centres. These centres should not be using exercise equipment that is faulty or out of date, which is sometimes the case. Recovery methods are only effective when instruments are in good working order and up to date.

Stroke survivors say that the best thing after a stroke is getting out of hospital but they can only do this with proper assistance and community care. Centres like the one on Baggot Street do great work but are not accessible to everyone. There is a real need for community centres across the country to have proper and adequate staffing in order to continue the rehabilitation process. Without proper assistance, too many people are losing the chance to regain as much of their strength, speech and mobility as possible.

Less than half those of working age return to work after a stroke and most of these either leave soon after or take on a reduced role. In order for these statistics to improve, the Government needs to invest more in stroke rehabilitation services and infrastructure. This investment will allow stroke survivors get back to a normal life, both professional and personal.

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