Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will bring the Senators' concerns back to the Minister for Health. The Government is committed to improving services in line with Sláintecare. The development of these services provides an opportunity to make significant changes to the quality of life of our citizens. The South/South West Hospital Group remains committed to the development of neurology services within the group. There are currently five specialist nurses working in neurology services at CUH, and two additional consultants are being recruited. The national clinical programme for neurology is focused on ways in which improvements can be made that will benefit patients. This includes the promotion of neurology nurse specialists through nurse-led clinics, nurse liaison services and outreach programmes.In addition, the headache programme and epilepsy outreach programme, both funded under the Sláintecare innovation fund, aim to reconfigure the management of these conditions by enabling clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners to lead and co-ordinate the care of these conditions in the community. This reduces reliance on consultant neurologists and tertiary services, in turn allowing more timely access to services and improving the overall quality of care. The work of the HSE, and of the national clinical programme in particular, will improve services for patients in the south and south-west region through more timely access to services and improving the overall quality of care.