Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Kelleher for raising this very important issue. It is my first time debating with her so I welcome her to the Seanad and congratulate her on being nominated. We need voices like hers in the Seanad, particularly with respect to this morning's subject. I will respond here but I will speak to her later about issues relating to her question. I thank the Senator for raising the matter of inpatient and community neuro-rehabilitation services and improving the patient pathway from hospital to home. I welcome the opportunity to outline the current position in this regard.

The programme for partnership Government places a particular focus on a number of key programmes and strategies, including publishing a plan for advancing neuro-rehabilitation services in the community. As part of a review of how specialist rehabilitation services are accessed and provided, the HSE and the Department of Health jointly published the National Policy and Strategy for the Provision of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services in Ireland 2011-2015. In addition, the rehabilitation medicine programme was established within the clinical strategy and programmes directorate of the Health Service Executive.

With regard to the update, a steering group, led by the HSE social care division, has circulated a draft implementation framework for the national policy and strategy for neuro-rehabilitation services for consultation to members of the steering group and stakeholder agencies. This implementation framework will guide and oversee the reconfiguration and development of neuro-rehabilitation structures and services at national and local level. The framework outlines key issues, themes and considerations. It makes particular reference to the need to reconfigure and develop community services within the HSE's community health care organisations and inpatient specialist rehabilitation services. It is planned that implementation of the neuro-rehabilitation policy and strategy will involve reconfiguration and development of resources with the community health care organisations to establish specialist neuro-rehabilitation teams within each area. Second, it will involve reconfiguration and development of specialist inpatient rehabilitation services in line with the rehabilitation medicine programme model of care and national trauma policy and integration of all specialist rehabilitation services within what is envisaged to be managed clinical networks. Moreover, each of the nine community health care organisations will establish local implementation teams; a neuro-rehabilitation network, based on a hub-and-spoke model, will serve population-based areas of the country; and managed networks will link closely with the National Rehabilitation Hospital, community rehabilitation teams, primary care and acute hospitals in their areas.

Specialist inpatient services are concentrated at a national level in the National Rehabilitation Hospital. The hospital provides a comprehensive range of specialist rehabilitation services to adult and paediatric patients. These are patients who, as a result of accident or injury have acquired physical or cognitive disability and require specialist medical rehabilitation. Effective rehabilitation draws on a broad range of disciplines to meet the particular needs of individuals. The objective is to assist with returning to life in the community with confidence. Approximately 1,000 people are treated on an inpatient basis at the hospital each year and approximately 5,000 people are treated on an outpatient basis. Many patients have a lifelong association with the hospital.

The Government has also announced a major capital development of the National Rehabilitation Hospital. The project will deliver a 120 replacement bed ward block. It will include support therapies to paediatrics and acquired brain injury patients, a hydrotherapy unit and a sports hall. Its completion is the priority project in rehabilitation medicine. It is envisaged that the implementation of the national policy and strategy for the provision of neuro-rehabilitation services, along with the investment in the National Rehabilitation Hospital, will greatly contribute to improved care pathways for patients from home to hospital.

This is a priority service issue and I am working very closely with the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, on it. There has been talking about this for too long. We want to push on the agenda. I will respond to further questions. The Minister and I feel very strongly that we must invest in this and do the job.