Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have seven minutes and intend sharing time with colleagues.

Sinn Féin will be supporting the motion. I commend Deputy Murphy O'Mahony on her initiative. I commend the Neurological Alliance of Ireland which I understand was instrumental in its drafting.

I imagine there is agreement across the House that we must help those with neurorehabilitation needs to lead full and meaningful lives by giving them quality tailored rehabilitation and support. Unfortunately, as it stands, we could not be further away from such a scenario. Over 25,000 Irish people each year struggle to get the neurorehabilitation services they need to prevent disability and support recovery from conditions, including stroke, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

Neurological services are chronically underfunded. Over many years, Sinn Féin has been calling for additional investment in neurological services and has provided for this in each of the party's alternative budgets. We know early intervention ultimately reduces the care needed. Indeed, many studies clearly demonstrate significant cost savings post-rehabilitation. However, we are currently failing to intervene early enough.

The National Rehabilitation Hospital is currently the only service provider. It is underfunded and does not have the capacity to deal with the increase in population size and the increase in the number of patients who need neurorehabilitation services at the facility. The NRH is set for a redevelopment, to be completed by late 2019, but that will still not address the lack of capacity as the old hospital will cease offering rehabilitative services. In truth, we are talking about replacement beds not additional beds.

The National Policy and Strategy for the Provision of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services in Ireland 2011-2015 was published by the Department of Health and the HSE in 2011 with an implementation plan promised within six months. It is now over six years since the strategy was published and an implementation plan has still not been published. Mór ár náire. I understand that representatives from the Neurological Alliance of Ireland have met the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, four times and that on each occasion he has promised that the policy would be implemented by the end of the year in question. It is a cause of great concern, however, to be told that, as of last week, a team to implement this strategy had still not been put in place. Have there been any developments on that front?

Despite our support for the motion I wish to put on record our disappointment that there was no mention of all-Ireland co-operation. As my party's health spokesperson over many years, and through my involvement in the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, I pushed hard for the provision of an all-island deep brain stimulation service and for collaboration between neurology services in the South and neurosurgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. Such a proposal was endorsed by the committee and was due for roll-out in 2016. I urge Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, to ensure that this vision becomes a reality in the immediate future.

The current service is in need of additional resourcing and I acknowledge that this is a responsibility north and south of the Border. The Gavan Quigley and Neil Simms team at the Royal Victoria Hospital have performed a number of implant procedures for people presenting from south of the Border but far more could be done. Battery changing visits make up the greater number of patient throughput. This represents a failure on the part of both Administrations on the island and on the part of neurology services in the State, which continue to look to Britain for patient referrals. The Belfast-based all-Ireland provision of deep brain stimulation services has not and will not reach its true potential unless there is enthusiastic buy-in by all parties, political and otherwise. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, should seek and secure a full update report on the DBS service at the Royal Victoria Hospital. The report should include the informed input of Mr. Quigley and Mr. Simms as well as of Professor Tim Lynch at the Dublin Neurological Institute and others who have a direct involvement in or knowledge of this service, including the NAI and other representative voices.

I continue to encourage the Neurological Alliance of Ireland and other organisations to consider strongly and push for more North-South co-operation in other neurological areas as there are so many untapped opportunities and potential in all-Ireland approaches.

Again, I declare that Sinn Féin will support the motion as tabled. I hope that our collective voices and efforts will secure a much improved resourcing of this singularly valuable service in 2018.

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