Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to the Independent Group for tabling this motion. I am standing in for Senator Hoey. Members of our group attended the briefing that was held recently. The campaigners showed an excellent grasp of the issues, and excellent advocacy on behalf of their members and people who have been affected by neurological conditions. They have sent more than 11,000 emails to Members to date and submitted 100 parliamentary questions. I pay tribute to the campaigners and those affected by neurological conditions. They should know that their hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed, especially by the Independent Group that tabled the motion.

As has been said by previous speakers, neurological nurses deal with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, migraine and brain injuries. The list goes on. The work these nurses do in helping to support neurology patients is crucial. Their expertise even allows them to intervene to avoid hospital admissions. One study showed that where people had access to specialised nurses, less pressure was put on emergency services, meaning there were less hospital admissions and it cost less money. At a time when our emergency departments are almost crippled due to the immense pressure of Covid and other issues, such as bed shortages and lengthy waiting times, more neurology nurses have the potential to benefit not only patients but the HSE as a whole.

We are far below internationally recommended ratios for specialist neurology nurses. There are currently only 42 in the Irish health system and, according to national and international recommendations, we need at least 142. That is a shortfall of 100 nurses. St. James's Hospital is the main neurology centre in my constituency. It urgently needs at least ten extra neurology nurse specialists. I have received emails from constituents who are very concerned as patients are unnecessarily waiting longer for diagnosis and treatment. Based on the catchment area, national and international guidelines recommend there should be 14 neurology nurse specialists but there are only four. These patients deserve better.

Many of the neurology departments are based in Dublin. If we move outside Dublin, with the cost of hotel rooms skyrocketing and the price of fuel going up, patients who need urgent care can barely afford to access it. We need to focus on these facilities being located throughout the country so they are more accessible. The Minister of State is currently in budget negotiations for his Department. I ask that over the summer he has a look to see if he can get an additional budget for 20 extra nurses to be added to neurology facilities throughout the country in order to at least begin to ease the burden on our health system and bring us up to international standards.