The Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI) along with patient advocates addressed political representatives at an online meeting (14.04.25) to highlight the impact that inadequate supports are having on people living with neurological conditions in the Dublin region.

Attendees which included TDs, patient groups and medical professionals were briefed on the lack of progress in the Dublin region with establishing neurorehabilitation services. The North Dublin community neurorehabilitation team promised by the Government in 2019 still remains unfunded. This is leading to a postcode lottery where neurological patients in Dublin South East/Wicklow and Dublin South West/ Kildare/West Wicklow will have access to community neurorehabilitation teams due to come onstream later this year, but no funding has been assigned for a team for the North Dublin area. This leaves major neurology centres like the Mater Hospital and Beaumont Hospital without a community neurorehabilitation team in their local area.

The NAI is calling on the government to fulfil its commitment to the 2019 Neurorehabilitation Strategy, which includes the full establishment of the nine promised community neurorehabilitation team across the country. Six years after the implementation plan for the strategy was published, most areas across the country are still without any access to a community neurorehabilitation team.

Addressing attendees, Eugene Hancock, patient advocate, from North Dublin shared his personal experience with the limited access to essential neurorehabilitation services in their area.

“After a family holiday, during which I spent a lot of time sleeping, my then-wife insisted that I see a doctor. I’d put my ongoing tiredness and forgetting things down to working long hours as a taxi driver, but after some brain scans and investigations by a neurologist, I learned that I had an acquired brain injury. Looking back, I can probably attribute it to a car accident I’d had about 15 years ago while working and though I did attend A&E at the time, there was no discussion about a head injury. The ABI has completely changed my life. From the hospital I was transferred to a nursing home. My marriage ended and I lost my home and everything I’d worked so hard for, because I could no longer work and earn a living.

“I now live in Local Authority housing and struggle with my short-term memory and everyday tasks. Headway is an enormous support to me but there are many other people like me who need the support of a community neurorehabilitation team to help them maintain their physical and mental health and live as full a life as possible. I’m lucky I was told about Headway because without them I would have had no support in the community. There are plenty of others out there with little to no support in the community and are missing out on the rehabilitation that could change their lives”

Magdalen Rogers, Executive Director of the Neurological Alliance of Ireland said: “Neurorehabilitation is a vital service that allows people with neurological conditions to live their day to day lives. We’re calling on the Government to address the urgent needs of people in the Dublin region impacted by the lack of services and to announce a commitment to funding four community neurorehabilitation teams in this year’s Budget.

“We want to see a clear signal that 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”.

As part of an ongoing series of online events, patient advocates and individuals living with neurological conditions will share their personal experiences, highlighting the significant impact of the shortage of neurorehabilitation teams in their region.

Additional regional meetings will take place on the following dates:

• The North West, Monday 12th May
• The Midlands, Monday 26th May
• The South East, Monday 9th June

For more information visit: www.nai.ie