Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this important issue.

Where is the neurorehabilitation strategy at within Government? In 2021, the World Health Organization identified neurological disorders as the most significant cause of acquired disability worldwide. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities calls on countries to strengthen, organise and extend rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. More than 25,000 Irish people each year struggle to get the neurorehabilitation services they need to prevent disability and support recovery from conditions, including strokes, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

It cannot be overstated how important it is to have early and timely access to rehabilitation services to reduce secondary complications, improve health outcomes, improve function, reduce the length of time in acute hospital settings, and facilitate a return to home and community living. Ireland has less than half the number of specialised rehabilitation beds recommended for its population. Some 240 are needed in total and Ireland has just 120 and, at fewer than 12, the lowest number of consultants in rehabilitation medicine in Europe. Despite the recommendations of numerous reports, and decades on from when the issue was first highlighted, there is still no dedicated specialist medical rehabilitation unit in the south of Ireland.

There continues to be an overwhelming lack of neurorehabilitation services at all stages of the pathway for persons with neurological conditions. At a bare minimum, there should be one dedicated specialist neurological team per community healthcare organisation yet only three such teams are in place nationwide. The additional teams in CHO 6 and CHO 7 funded in 2019 have not yet been established. People who look at this are very concerned about it. One of the clear recommendations arising from a presentation to the Joint Committee on Disability Matters in November from those appearing before it related to when the neurorehabilitation strategy would be published. Where is it at? We got signals from the Government and Departments that it was being looked at and was going to be published but we need to see when that will happen. Unless we see it will be published, we do not believe there is a seriousness at Department and Government level to tackle the neurorehabilitation services that are so vital.

There is a long waiting list for access to services, which is largely based on a geographic lottery. People with neurological conditions spend significantly more time in hospital than is necessary and live in inappropriate settings, such as nursing homes for older people, psychiatric facilities or at home with families who simply cannot cope. They largely lead lives of exclusion and isolation distanced from social, community and economic life. Equally, their families experience a significant burden of isolation. These are the challenges. If we are serious about it, we need this strategy in place. From the experience of teams that were set up in 2019 in different CHOs, they are still not in operation or in place. They need to get staffing.

I hope the Minister of State has some good news for us. I would appreciate it if he takes seriously the concerns I have raised.

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