Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----but I will read the statement and hope something will come of it. I extend my apologies to the Deputy because, having read it, I do not believe the reply is comprehensive.

On behalf of the Minister of State, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to respond. The National Rehabilitation Hospital provides complex specialist rehabilitation services for patients who have acquired a physical or cognitive disability as a result of an accident, illness or injury and require specialist medical rehabilitation services. We are all aware that such injuries or illnesses can have significant implications for individuals and their families. They impact on their social, educational, vocational and recreational participation and present serious challenges to their quality of life.

Effective rehabilitation draws on a broad range of disciplines to meet the particular needs of individuals, with the object of assisting them to return to their lives in the community. The National Rehabilitation Hospital provides patients with every opportunity to meet their rehabilitation goals through personalised treatment plans which are delivered by consultant-led interdisciplinary teams that are expert in their fields. Rehabilitation programmes at the hospital are tailored to meet the individual needs of both paediatric and adult patients. Depending on the level of limb loss and a person's general health and fitness, the activities that can be undertaken with a prosthetic limb could range from running or other sports to returning to employment, walking a few kilometres and simply being able to get around the house.

The Minister of State has requested the Health Service Executive to provide a response on the specific operational matters raised by the Deputy concerning the very important service provided by the National Rehabilitation Hospital. The executive has advised that the hospital is reluctant to provide a response on the matter the Deputy has raised without the input of the consultant in charge of prosthetics at the hospital. The consultant was, unfortunately, unavailable today. The executive has also informed me that it expects to be in a position to provide a more detailed response tomorrow on receipt of information from the hospital. The Minister of State will forward the information requested to the Deputy as soon as it is available, which I hope will be tomorrow.

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