NEUROLOGY SERVICES AT CRISIS POINT

THE Neurological Alliance of Ireland has launched the Invest in Neurology campaign, which calls on the Government to tackle unacceptable staffing deficits, invest in neurology centres nationwide and improve access to critical tests for patients, such as MRI scans.

A recent report published by the NAI found that patients’ experience of services in Ireland has not improved since 2016, despite the upturn in the economic climate.

More than 800,000 people in Ireland are now living with neurological conditions, such as migraine, epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and rare and genetic neurological conditions.

Hospitals here are struggling with chronic underinvestment in neurology services and are totally ill-equipped to deal with the current and future demand. Decades of under-investment has resulted in the lowest ratio of consultant neurologists per head of population in the developed world.

According to the Association of British Neurologists’ recommendations, each country should have one consultant neurologist for every 70,000 people. Currently that target is exceeded in every hospital in the country with the Mid-West Regional Hospital in Limerick having one neurologist for every 200,000 people.

The findings also revealed Ireland has less than half the recommended number of neurologists, less than half the number of MS nurses and less than a third of the recommended number of specialist nurses for Parkinson’s disease.

More than one fifth of neurology patients have to wait more than six months between the time they were referred by their GP to when they see a neurologist for the first time, with one in ten patients waiting more than 12 months.