Mary Wallace (Meath East, Fianna Fail)

As we are in the form for praising each other I would like to say that the Senator's contribution was well researched and that he presented an excellent case. As I read through the report before me, I find that his thought process is similar to the position of the Department of Health and Children and the Health Service Executive on developing these services throughout the country. There has been a slight improvement in the statistics also, which will be a help.

I am responding on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harney. The Minister has identified the development of neurology services as a policy priority. Additional revenue funding of €7 million was provided to the HSE in 2006 and 2007 for the development of services in the area of neurosciences, which comprises neurology, neurophysiology and neurosurgery, as the Senator has said. This has allowed the HSE to appoint additional consultant neurologists, which included the appointment for the first time of the neurologist the Senator referred to at Sligo General Hospital. That post was filled in early 2008 and provides neurology services to the north-west region.

Of the development funding for the provision of neurology services in the north west, €80,000 has gone towards the establishment of a pilot tele-neurophysiology link which is in operation between Sligo General and Beaumont hospitals. This has facilitated patients in receiving their EEGs locally, thus avoiding the need for them to travel to Galway or to Dublin.

Nationally, this investment has helped to increase the number of approved consultant neurologist posts, which now stands at 24 compared with 14 in 2003. In addition, we have moved to a position where we have seven approved consultant clinical neurophysiologist posts, an increase of four approved posts since 2003. The Senator is encouraging us to appoint more people and the statistics are moving in an upward direction.

The HSE has undertaken a national review of neurology services to improve integration of services and optimise patient outcomes. It took particular account of likely future levels of demand and rapid technological advances in the area. Following consideration of the outcome of the review, the HSE decided to seek an external expert opinion on the model of care proposed to ensure the recommendations were properly aligned with the HSE transformation programme. The expert panel expects to conclude its work within the next three months, after which time the HSE can proceed to the implementation phase and arrange for publication.

Government policy is to have a consultant delivered rather than a consultant led service. The new consultant contract is designed to support this and, as in many areas of our health services, service improvements will depend to a much greater extent on the ability to successfully mobilise and re-configure existing resources than on additional funds.

The creation and funding of further consultant posts will be driven by service priorities, as reflected in the HSE's annual service plan, and in particular the policy of achieving a better balance between the numbers of consultants and non-consultant hospital doctors. There is to be a significant reduction in the number of non-consultant hospital doctors employed in each of the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. This would generate savings that would be used to fund the recruitment of additional consultants. I thank Senator Ó Domhnaill for raising this important matter.