Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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131. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when her Department will introduce and fund a community neurorehabilitation team for Dublin Central and Dublin North City and East; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24018/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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As per the 2025 National Service Plan, the HSE is committed to developing Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Teams (CNRTs) in line with the Neuro-Rehabilitation Implementation Framework and enhance capacity for its implementation nationally.

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 are to be configured into population based Managed Clinical Rehabilitation Networks (MCRNs). The overarching aim is the development of population-based MCRNs around the country.

Funding was secured for a 12 WTE Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Team (CNRT) in HSE Galway, Roscommon and Mayo, HSE South West, HSE Dublin South and Wicklow and HSE Dublin South West, South City and West and Kildare West Wicklow. Recruitment is progressing for these teams and moving toward onboarding.

There are two CNRTs in existence in HSE Donegal and HSE Mid West that predate the strategy. Estimates bids were submitted to Budget 2025 to uplift these existing teams.

There is currently no CNRT operational in HSE Carlow, Kilkenny, Tipperary South, Waterford/Wexford, HSE Midlands and HSE Dublin and North East.

Moving forward with the strategy, the plan will be to enhance the existing CNRTs, fund those IHAs/RHA that do not have a CNRT and to create a large population-based Community Neuro-Rehabilitation Team (CNRT) within each RHA following the implementation of the new Regional Health Areas within Slaintecare.

The Disability Action Plan outlines a team of 18 WTE per CHO by 2026 to be reconfigured into one larger CNRT per RHA. Estimates bids will be submitted to Budget 2026 to enhance existing teams and fund CNRTs in those IHAs/RHAs that do not have funding for CNRT.

The HSE continues to engage with my Department through the annual budgetary process to secure the necessary funding to establish this essential service nationally.