Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate the Independent Group on tabling this very important motion. It addresses a very worthy topic and a series of facts and conditions that can affect any family at any time. Neurological conditions can strike very suddenly. Strokes and acquired brain injuries can happen all of a sudden. Any of us present could get a phone call at any time to tell us very difficult and tragic news about a family member, friend or neighbour. It is a real problem and a life-changing issue, and a series of life-changing events resonate from it within one's family.

I lost an uncle this year who had two strokes last year. He was 89 years old and would have been 90 in June. He had lived his life but there are people who suffer health impacts in their 30s and 40s who would have had a whole life in front of them. Certainly, those people's lives and those of their loved ones are more impacted by these issues. My father died in 2018 of a neurological issue for which we never really got a diagnosis. It is something that impacts so much on life. It is very debilitating and requires help and assistance when it gets to the stage of the affected person returning home, if he or she can return home. In some cases, that is obviously not practical and people end up in permanent care. That differs depending on one's family circumstances.

I fully support the campaign. I have spoken to that at the Joint Committee on Health.I welcome the progress this year. There is a campaign for extra nurses in Galway, where there should be 13 neurological nurse specialists but there are only four. The Department and the Minister should be working towards an incremental approach to increase the numbers over a period to reach an acceptable level. I certainly hope we will see additional progress this year. In the western region, three extra nursing positions are due to be filled this year at University Hospital Galway, UHG, and that is welcome. I hope that can be replicated next year and the year after to get to the acceptable level.

As the motion states, there is a shortfall of up to 100 neurological nurses in Ireland based on national and international guidelines relative to population. People with long-term neurological conditions have limited access to the neurology nursing services that help them to manage their condition. This is something that is very important to the patients who are affected, their families, their loved ones and those around them. As I said, I feel for younger people, in particular, who may have small children and who may leave a partner having to deal with all the pressures and stresses of life in addition to dealing with somebody who suffers a debilitating condition in this regard. I hope and expect the Government, subject to the availability of specialists to be recruited and adequate training programmes, to ensure we have an adequate cohort of people who can be put in place across the system. I certainly hope we can put a plan in place in the shortest term possible to reach a stage where an adequate number of neurology nurses can be acquired. I support the call for the Minister to prioritise funding for additional nurses in budget 2023. Ideally, it would be 100 in one go if they were available, although that might not be practical, but certainly he should go some way to ensuring that we can reach that milestone in as short a period of time as possible.

I again commend the Independent Senators on tabling this important motion.