Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 828 to 833, inclusive, together.

This government is fully committed to supporting improvements and advances in stroke services including the area of research and will build on the €13.5m in funding allocated to the HSE National Stroke Strategy since its publication in 2022.

The HSE National Stroke Strategy 2022-2027 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 focusses on the entire pathway of patient care under four key pillars; (1) stroke prevention; (2) acute care and cure; (3) rehabilitation and restoration to living; and (4) education and research.

The Strategy was developed by the multi-disciplinary Clinical Advisory Group (CAG) under the clinical governance and leadership of the NCP for Stroke and underwent extensive consultation with internal and external stakeholders ensuring the experiences of stroke survivors was incorporated.

The funding allocated to the National Stroke Strategy to date has enabled significant new developments which improve care and support for stroke survivors such as:

• The expansion of the GP Contract to include opportunistic case finding of High Blood Pressure for those with a GMS/GP visit card. This contract is now in place, and the service commenced in Q1 2024. This measure initially applied to over 45-year-olds but has now been expanded to include those 18 years and over.
• The recruitment of 12 posts to support acute stroke units, endovascular thrombectomy centres and the expansion of Early Supported Discharge (ESD) teams in the community from 6 to 11 teams. Our target is 21 ESD teams nationally.
• Bespoke projects in secondary prevention and rehabilitation, carried out by the Cork Stroke Support Centre and Croí have also been funded. These align with relevant areas in the strategy as well as providing support to survivors in remote regions of the country.

In Budget 2025 a total of €5.0m was allocated to the Strategy. This new funding is enabling the recruitment of 56 new posts to support the expansion of early supported discharge teams and access to acute stroke units to support stroke services through the provision of additional consultants, psychologists and a range of health and social care professionals.

Separately, €600,000 has been allocated to support the Irish Heart Foundation Stroke Connect service. This service complements hospital services by supporting survivors of stroke when they are discharged, helping them make lifestyle changes to self-manage their condition and giving them a better chance of leading an independent life.

Research

Active policy projects include collaboration with the RCSI through the Health Research Board (HRB) evidence for policy programme to explore the value of digital health applications in stroke care. This project, which is ongoing, aims to explore the value of digital health applications, focusing on stroke care as an exemplar of a complex health challenge impacting patients, healthcare systems, and society. Digital health solutions offer significant potential to enhance the productivity and efficiency of healthcare.

Separately, an evidence brief was produced by the HRB in response to specific questions from the Department of Health to establish the feasibility of the Stroke Key Worker role.

Stroke key workers are cited in the National Stroke Strategy 2022-2027 as providing a vital focal point to patients with a stroke, including their role linking patients with a stroke to key supports following discharge from hospital or rehabilitation. This evidence review focused on identifying any approaches that have been taken to implementing a stroke key worker, across three case countries and to establish any facilitators of and barriers to the stroke key worker within the models of care in each case country and beyond. The review is complete and is currently under review by the Stroke Strategy Implementation Group (IOG).

My Department is also involved in a project exploring the feasibility of a stroke secondary prevention programme for Women following a Stroke. The project is a collaboration between the Department of Health, ExWell Medical, the HSE National Clinical Programme for Stroke who are represented on a project steering group along with patient representatives and a representative from the Irish Heart Foundation. The project is the result of a submission to the Women’s Health Action Plan 2024-2025. Under Pillar 2 an action around cardiovascular disease in women of midlife to older age was included for the first time.

The project will pilot a bespoke medically supervised exercise programme for survivors of stroke and will provide research to further our understanding of secondary prevention following stroke in women and men in Ireland.

On September 9th, 2025, the HSE launched a new national TV, radio and digital campaign called ‘Every Second Counts’. The campaign reinforces knowledge and understanding of stroke symptoms while focusing on the importance of quick action when a stroke is suspected. It was developed with the support of stroke survivors alongside voluntary and community groups. This new 3-year evidence-based awareness campaign builds on previous shorter awareness campaigns to ensure more people understand the critical importance of getting early treatment. A significant amount of research informed the campaign. This included a review of FAST campaigns performance, quantitative and qualitative research with the general public, stroke survivors research and creative testing for the campaign.

I remain fully committed to making further progress on implementing the stroke strategy and will continue to work with the HSE to ensure its successful implementation to further reduce mortality from stroke, as well as supporting survivors of stroke to live as independently as possible in their communities.