Representatives from the Neurological Alliance of Ireland met with Minister for Disability Anne Rabbitte to welcome the progress that has been made in the rollout of community neurorehabilitation teams across the country and the recruitment of specialist nurses.
By investing in specialist nurses, community neurorehabilitation teams as well as in the long term supports in the community provided by NAI member organisations, Minister Rabbitte has pioneered the delivery of care closer to their own homes in communities all across Ireland.
Minister Rabbitte outlined “I am deeply cognisant of the impact that a neurological diagnosis has, not just on the person themselves but on their family and our wider society. I have been determined throughout my tenure as Minister for Disability to take active steps to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to implement the National Neurorehabilitation Strategy. We now have community neurorehabilitation teams actively recruiting across many parts of Ireland, including in the West and South of the country where these services are critically needed. People being discharged from hospital or living with a neurological condition in the community now have a service close to home, the right care in the right place. We also now have a network of specialist nurses in hospitals all across Ireland, as just one example we now have the first ever specialist nurse in place in Ireland for people with Huntington’s disease, and a second Huntington’s nurse currently being recruited for Galway University Hospital so that people throughout the West of Ireland can now avail of this specialist service”.