A Dublin woman with Multiple Sclerosis has spoken of her plight due to the current shortfall in community neurorehabilitation teams in Ireland.
Niamh McCarron, who was diagnosed with MS back in 2010, said the lack of vital care services will have a major impact on her life. The Rathfarnham woman said: "I’ve been lucky enough that my condition has been very manageable. However, with a degenerative condition, it is inevitable that in the future I will require the support of a community neurorehabilitation team.
"Unfortunately, there is no support available in my community, and early intervention is crucial in managing the disease. With a team in place within the community, people with Multiple Sclerosis can take ownership of their care and receive timely access to rehabilitation services.
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"We shouldn’t have to fight for these services. We need our represented electives and the HSE to take action now.”
Currently, there are only two community neurorehabilitation teams in Ireland, despite nine teams being required as is outlined in the Implementation Framework (2019-2021) for the National Neurorehabilitation Strategy. This means only 15% of neurological patients in Ireland have access to teams that provide vital care to support their recovery.
A new campaign calling on the HSE and politicians to tackle this issue has been launched by the Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI) today. In CHO Area 7, which includes Kildare, West Wicklow, Dublin West, Dublin South City and Dublin South West, funding was provided for a team as far back as 2018 but there has been a delay to date in establishing any team on the ground.
NAI Executive Director Magdalen Rogers said: "Once a person receives a diagnosis of a neurological condition, they need to be supported in their recovery and the management of their condition. That’s what a community neurorehabilitation team does.
"It brings together health care professionals from a range of disciplines such as an occupational therapist, a speech and language therapist, a physiotherapist and a clinical psychologist to enable a person living with a neurological condition to live well."
She added: "For every euro spent on a community neurorehabilitation team, the health service saves €11. Having these teams in place is vital in reducing the length of stay and delayed discharges and therefore freeing up beds in acute hospitals.
"The support of neurorehabilitation teams is also proven to prevent unnecessary admissions to hospitals and improves the overall well-being and quality of life of patients with a range of neurological conditions. We have estimated that having these vital teams in place could save up to 42,000 bed days annually."
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