Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the important question. As he will be aware, this year is the first time funding has been provided to support the implementation of the national stroke strategy. We launched it last year and last year's budget provided nearly €5 million for this year to roll out the new stroke strategy. The Deputy and various of our party colleagues have been advocating for neurorehabilitation nurses, including in the Deputy's constituency, for a long time. This year, we have seen the roll-out of a modest enough start - I understand there are 23 nurses across the country to begin with. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, secured additional funding in her budget to continue with the roll out and hiring of more neurorehabilitation nurses, which is important for next year.

It is worth saying that the HSE and healthcare professionals have made huge progress over the past ten years. The number of deaths from stroke have has reduced by a quarter, which is great to see. There has also been a reduction of one third in the amount of time patients have to stay in hospital, in terms of the average length of stay. We have seen improved survivorship rates.

The national strategy affects the needs of those affected by stroke with various interventions, including treatment, supporting recovery and mental health supports. Pillar 3 concerns rehabilitation and restoration of life. This recognises the need for psychological support as an important post-stroke intervention. As we have previously discussed, the feedback I and others get from our constituents is that while the hospital-based services have been getting better and better and many measures are moving in the right direction, many people felt they were at a loss once they were discharged into the community. One of the measures we are rolling out is neurorehabilitation teams. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is taking the lead on that.

See this speech in context