Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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1670. To ask the Minister for Health the progress made to date in respect of implementing the recommendations of the National Policy and Strategy for the Provision of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18604/21]

Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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1671. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to put in place the necessary neuro-rehabilitation community teams within regional centres throughout the State; his plans to address a shortage of inpatient beds within neuro-rehabilitation services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18605/21]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1670 and 1671 together.

The Programme for Government – Our Shared Future’ includes a commitment for advancing neuro-rehabilitation services in the community. The Health Service Executive is leading on the implementation framework in respect of the recommendations of the National Policy and Strategy for the provision of Neuro-Rehabilitation Services in Ireland 2011-2015.

The Neuro-Rehabilitation Strategy Implementation Framework (IF) was launched in February 2019. The overarching aim of the Strategy is the development of neuro-rehabilitation services to improve patient outcomes by providing safe, high quality, person -centred neuro-rehabilitation at the lowest appropriate level of complexity. This must be integrated across the care pathway, and provided as close to home as possible or in specialist centres where necessary.

These services should be configured into population based managed clinical rehabilitation networks (MCRNs). The MCRN, while an effective model in a number of European countries, is a new concept in Ireland. MCRNs are recognised as having the potential to bring together an appropriate range of primary, secondary and tertiary services to ensure equitable provision of high quality and clinically effective services.

Funding has been sought and approved to support the introduction of a managed clinical rehabilitation network demonstrator project. The focus of the demonstrator project is the development of post-acute and community neuro-rehabilitation services across CHO 6 & 7. In terms of service provision, this is where the gap is most evident in terms of demonstrating a Network model.

Funding became available from Q4 2020, with full year funding of €2.29m available for 2021.The learning from the demonstrator project will inform implementation of the Neuro-rehabilitation Strategy across each CHO and implementation of strategy will roll-out from 2022.

As the issues raised are service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to reply directly to the Deputy.