Six years on from the government commitment to deliver nine fully funded community neurological rehabilitation teams across the country, Donegal still has limited access to a team.
That’s according to the Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI), the national umbrella body for 40 neurological organisations, who recently met with TDs and Senators at Leinster House to call for their renewed commitment in delivering on the targets outlined in the 2019 Neurorehabilitation Strategy.
There are currently 778 patients waiting for neurology services in Donegal while the positions of Consultant Neurologist and Clinical Nurse Specialist are pending formal approval.
As National Brain Awareness Week marks its 20th year (March 10th – 16th), the NAI underscores the urgent need for dedicated community neurorehabilitation teams to address this critical issue.
The NAI says there is a significant regional inequity for patients in Donegal who have limited access to the existing understaffed community neurorehabilitation team in the North West because of a lack of funding.
“The community neurorehabilitation team serving Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan is only funded to fill a quarter of the necessary staffing positions it requires,” said the alliance.
Three consultant outpatient clinics are held in Letterkenny each week by the Sligo University Hospital Neurology Service.
Magdalen Rogers, CEO of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland said: “Neurorehabilitation is a vital service to enable people in Donegal with neurological conditions to live their day to day lives. We’re calling on the Government to announce a commitment to funding four community neurorehabilitation teams in this year’s Budget. We want to see this commitment during their first 100 days in office, to send a clear signal they intend to deliver on the pledges within the Programme for Government to complete the national rollout of community neurorehabilitation teams and to developing more specialist inpatient rehabilitation beds and implement community based multidisciplinary rehabilitation services in each HSE Regional Health Authority Area.”
NAI is calling for funding in the upcoming Budget for full community neurorehabilitation teams for the North West, North Dublin, South East and Midlands, promised since 2019 to address the shortfall of 171 specialist inpatient neurorehabilitation beds.
Patient advocate and NAI board member, Eamon McPartlin from Leitrim, which is part of the North West region explained the importance of access to neurorehabilitation teams to Oireachtas, members.
“I was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) in 2021, although symptoms actually began to appear a lot earlier in my thirties. Even before I received my diagnosis, the condition led to me having to give up my work as an engineer and ultimately to my marriage ending and I know that from speaking to others, the consequences of living with a neurological condition can be even more difficult to deal with than the condition itself.
“Accessing multidisciplinary treatment including physiotherapy, psychology and occupational therapy through community neurorehabilitation teams, without having to travel huge distances is vital. It allows people living with a neurological condition to receive treatment locally without they or their family having to take significant time off work or spend lots of money on travelling and accommodation. For some depending on where they live in the country the community neurorehabilitation team may be their only option to access the services they urgently need to support them in living a better quality of life.”
