On Monday 16th June, local lived experience advocates and voluntary providers from across the South East came together to call for the delivery of a community neuro-rehabilitation team for the South East, promised since 2019.
Community neurorehabilitation teams provide crucial short-term intensive rehabilitation input (up to 12 weeks) with access to multidisciplinary services including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, social work and neuropsychology. The service they provide is critical to preventing disability and promoting recovery for people with neurological conditions, reducing hospital stays and the need for frequent hospital admissions and long- term care.
A community neuro-rehabilitation team for the South East was promised in 2019, in the National Implementation Framework for the Neuro-rehabilitation Strategy. Four teams are coming on board in other regions across Ireland in 2025, but the South East is being left behind and has received no funding to date to deliver the promised team.
South East resident Tommy Nolan from Wexford talked about his experience of stroke, and the lack of services and especially psychological support when he returned home. Bernadette Myler Driscoll, a family carer for her husband with Parkinson's, highlighted that these teams save money by keeping people out of hospital and in their communities.
Local elected representatives joined in to offer their support, NAI CEO Magdalen Rogers closed the meeting by reminding them that NAI is seeking funding in this year's Budget for four teams: in order to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to complete the rollout of community neuro-rehabilitation teams.
You can view the launch on You Tube https://youtu.be/9hGBtAXF1v4