Serious shortage of neuro rehab beds
Ireland has less than half of the neuro-rehabilitation beds needed, said the Neurological Alliance Ireland (NAI) marking World Brain Day at Peamount Hospital.
On July 22, awareness is globally raised on conditions related to the brain such as stroke, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
NAI spoke at Peamount to call on attending local public representatives, such as Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Mid-West Shane Moynihan and Fine Gael Minister for Public Expenditure Emer Higgins to address the issue.
According to the Alliance, Ireland has a 58 per cent shortfall in the number of neuro-
rehabilitation beds for patients recovering from such conditions, while the Government pro-gramme included a commitment to develop more specialist inpatient neuro-rehabilitation beds in response to this critical shortage.
Magdalen Rogers, CEO of NAI, said, “Over 16 per cent of people in Ireland are currently living with a neurological condition. Behind these statistics are the individuals and their families struggling to come to terms with the effects of a neurological condition and they have a huge fear that they won’t get access to the specialist care they need.
“Our recent survey of 700 people living with a neurological condition across Ireland showed a staggering 76 per cent had not been able to access inpatient neuro-rehabilitation when they needed it.”
Out of that figure, 62 per cent of respondents from Dublin said they had been unable to access neuro-rehabilitation services in the past 12 months.
NAI brought forward examples of individual patients from the country who were treated at Peamount Healthcare and wanted to show their gratitude to the team who helped them get their lives back in spite of a shortage of resources.
Aideen Phelan, a mother of four from Naas, Co Kildare, is considered “one of Peamount’s greatest success stories.”
She suffered a brain aneurysm aged just 32 and underwent six life-saving surgeries at Beaumont before being admitted to Peamount for rehabilitation.
Her language and mobility had been severely affected, and she was told she might never return to work. Aideen returned home and was back to work in the bookies within five weeks.
The HSE Dublin Midlands main site for
in-patient neuro-rehabilitation, Peamount Healthcare saw 10 beds opened at the end of 2020 which allowed for the care of 400
patients since then.
The hospital has worked with community and charity partner organisations to ensure their transition from the acute setting to home.
However, more resources are needed and the forty neurological charities that make up NAI came together at the hospital to call on the Government to deliver on its programme pledges in the upcoming budget.
