Six years after the Government pledged to establish nine fully funded community neurorehabilitation teams across the country, Galway and much of the West of Ireland remain without access to these vital services.
The Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI ), the national umbrella body representing 40 neurological organisations, has sounded the alarm, calling for urgent action to address the glaring gaps in care for those living with neurological conditions.
As National Brain Awareness Week marks its 20th anniversary (March 10th–16th ), the NAI has met with TDs and Senators at Leinster House to demand renewed commitment to the promises outlined in the 2019 Neurorehabilitation Strategy. The strategy pledged to deliver specialist community teams, long-term neurorehabilitation services, and an additional 171 specialist inpatient neurorehabilitation beds nationwide. However, progress has been sluggish, leaving patients in Galway and other regions at a significant disadvantage.
The NAI is specifically urging the Government to allocate funding in the upcoming budget for full community neurorehabilitation teams in the North West, North Dublin, South East, and Midlands—regions that have been waiting for these services since 2019. The lack of progress has created stark regional inequities, with patients in Galway and the west of Ireland particularly hard-hit due to the absence of local teams.
Commitment to funding
Magdalen Rogers, CEO of the NAI, emphasised the critical need for these services. “Neurorehabilitation is a vital service to enable people in Galway with neurological conditions to live their day-to-day lives,” she said. “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.”
Life changing consequences
Eamon McPartlin, a patient advocate and NAI board member from Leitrim who lived in Galway for many years, shared his personal experience with Oireachtas members to highlight the human impact of these delays. “I was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND ) in 2021, although symptoms actually began to appear a lot earlier in my thirties,” he explained. “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. 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.”
McPartlin stressed the importance of accessible, multidisciplinary treatment. “Accessing multidisciplinary treatment including physiotherapy, psychology, and occupational therapy through community neurorehabilitation teams, without having to travel huge distances, is vital,” he said. “It allows people living with a neurological condition to receive treatment locally without them 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.”
Care needs to be accessible
The NAI’s call for action comes at a critical time, as the lack of progress on the 2019 strategy continues to leave thousands of people without the support they need. For Galway and the west of Ireland, the absence of these teams means that many patients are forced to travel long distances for care—or go without it entirely.
As National Brain Awareness Week shines a spotlight on the challenges faced by those with neurological conditions, the NAI’s message is clear: the Government must act now to deliver on its promises and ensure that no one is left behind.
