Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1921.To ask the Minister for Health the reason for the lack of a dedicated/funded physiotherapy or occupational therapy post to acute stroke in University Hospital Waterford (UHW) (details supplied); the additional resourcing that is available to the UHW stroke unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35885/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The government and I as Minister for Health are fully committed to supporting improvements and advances in stroke services and have allocated a total of €7.3m to fund the HSE National Stroke Strategy over the last two Budgets.

The Strategy aims to modernise and reform stroke services in line with Sláintecare policy and address the challenges facing Ireland from population ageing and the predicted increase in the total number of strokes right across Europe, including Ireland. The strategy provides a blueprint for required investment in stroke services over the five-year period from 2022-2027 and is based on a required overall investment of approximately €36m.

The funding allocated to the National Stroke Strategy to date has enabled significant new developments such as:

• the expansion of the GP contract to include opportunistic screening of hypertension (a significant risk factor for stroke). This contract is in place and GPs commenced the service in Q1 2024.
• the recruitment of 11.5 posts to support acute stroke units, endovascular thrombectomy centres and has enabled the expansion of ESD teams in the community from 6 to 11 teams (target is 21 ESD teams nationally).
• funding also contributed towards a public awareness campaign to highlight the signs of stroke which we know saves lives and I understand this is on target to launch in Q4 of 2024.

Acute Specialist Stroke Units (ASU), staffed with a stroke specialist multi-disciplinary team, are the single most effective intervention in delivering improved outcomes for patients presenting with a potential stroke. University Hospital Waterford has 5 dedicated ASU beds with 2 single side rooms. Current stroke dedicated staffing includes 1 WTE Stroke Clinical Specialist and an unfilled 1 WTE Speech and Language therapist. The medical, nursing, health and social care professional input is via the UHW complement which has been in place since before 2011.

Considerable investment has been provided to the UHW. Staffing at the hospital has grown by 865 since the end of December 2019 – from 1,949 to 2,814 at the end of July 2024. That represents an increase in staffing of 44.4% - 49 more consultants, 107 more non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs), 381 more nurses and midwives, as well as 120 more health and social care professionals.

In 2019, University Hospital Waterford had a budget of €201 million. In 2024, the budget is more than €290 million, meaning its budget has grown by €89 million – that’s a 44% increase - in just 5 years.