Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House and congratulate my colleague, Senator Victor Boyhan, who has been raising this issue continuously in the past few years. That is why I gave way to allow him to lead off in this very important debate. I am speaking on behalf of my colleague, Senator Keith Swanick, who is unavoidably absent.

The Taoiseach recently turned the sod on a new development with 120 beds at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, but they are not additional beds. The plan is to provide 120 beds in two or three wings and knock down the existing building. There will be no increased capacity. I welcome the new development which will significantly improve facilities for staff and patients, but it will not address the ongoing capacity issues within the hospital, as Senator Victor Boyhan has continuously pointed out in the House.

The Government is underestimating the importance of this issue. Increased bed capacity at the National Rehabilitation Hospital is essential to support implementation of key Government policies, including the national neuro-rehabilitation strategy and the national trauma strategy. The British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine standards for specialist rehabilitation which are applied in Ireland indicate that a minimum of 60 beds per 1 million population for specialist inpatient rehabilitation medicine is required. In other words, 288 beds are required for the population of the country. This is in addition to the complex specialist rehabilitation tertiary service in the hospital which should provide for patients with complex rehabilitation needs such as a severe brain or spinal cord injury, low awareness states, challenging behaviour or concurrent complex medical needs.

In November 2017, 257 patients were on waiting lists for the National Rehabilitation Hospital. They are waiting anxiously for a coveted space in a hospital that they know is held in high regard and responsible for helping people the length and breath of the island. At an individual level, the impact of not receiving appropriate and timely rehabilitation services can lead to serious deterioration. At a system level, it can lead to increased hospital admissions and as a consequence delayed discharges. There is only one national rehabilitation hospital, in which the doctors and nurses are doing an excellent job in difficult circumstances. They need to be supported and provided with the necessary resources they require. The patients who need the services of the hospital need increased bed capacity. There is an argument to be made for providing a similar hospital in the south of the country, but that is for another day. I thank the Minister of State for his contribution and look forward to hearing his response.