James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend my fellow Deputies, Margaret Murphy O'Mahony and Billy Kelleher, for their work in this area. I commend Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony for introducing the motion.

Every year, 25,000 Irish people struggle to access neurorehabilitation services. Estimates suggest that only one in six people who need rehabilitation services actually receives such treatment. I refer to crucial treatments that prevent disability, support recovery and make it easier to overcome hurdles when facing treatment for stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and many other disorders. Fianna Fáil's motion captures why neurorehabilitation services must be enshrined within forthcoming HSE budgets.

There is a continued failure to understand the need for an holistic response to neurorehabilitation needs. Despite the publication of the neurorehabilitation strategy in 2011, neurorehabilitation services are lacking in six of the country's nine community health organisations.

Inaction following the publication of the neurorehabilitation strategy has a negative impact on people with neurological disabilities who grapple with unnecessary barriers. In my constituency, Wexford, there is no dedicated community neurorehabilitation team. There are insufficient post-acute rehabilitation beds and there is a striking lack of dedicated respite, long-term care and home care for people with neurological conditions.

With such sparse resources, it is crystal clear that there is a lack of supports at every juncture for a person with a neurological condition. Without local supports, there is a limit placed on the ability of patients to live to their full potential within their communities.

Some people with neurological conditions may be forced to live in inappropriate settings, such as nursing homes or psychiatric facilities, when they should be cared for in more appropriate ones. Not only does this limit a person's ability to recover from a neurological disability but it can also lead to mental health difficulties and challenges. The lack of services is forcing people with neurological conditions to lead lives of exclusion and isolation, separated from their communities, families and friends.

5 o’clock

This motion demands the investment required to bring the nation's neurorehabilitation services up to speed with international standards, including those in my county of Wexford.

See this speech in context