Nurse specialists in neurology provide a range of vital services, however there is a shortfall of over 100 such specialists in the Irish healthcare system, the Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI) has warned.

The NAI, which is made up of 30 non-profit organisations that advocate for the rights of 800,000 people in Ireland with a neurological condition, presented on this issue to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health.

Nurse specialists in neurology provide services such as nurse-led clinics, rapid access clinics, telephone advisory services and outreach services. They can significantly improve the quality of care at a lower cost, mainly by preventing unnecessary hospital admissions through advice, information, support, counselling and with appropriate safeguards, adjustments in medication.

In October 2021, the NAI launched its ‘Patients Deserve Better’ campaign to highlight the need for more nurse specialists in this area. According to the Model of Care for Neurology Services in Ireland, there is an overall shortfall of 100 nurse specialists across neurology services.

“In practice, this means that four-fifths of Irish people living with Parkinson's disease, for example, do not have access to a nurse specialist because of the absence of nurse specialists in adult neurology services for complex neurological conditions, while there are no specialist nurses for rare complex conditions such as Huntington’s disease,” explained NAI executive director, Magdalen Rogers.

She said that investing in nurse specialists in this area “is critical to reducing waiting lists and improving patient care”. The latest figures available show that almost 24,000 people are currently on waiting lists for a neurology appointment.

In 2015, 13,218 people were waiting.

“We have clear evidence within our own health system of the role of nurse specialists in waiting list reduction and prevention of hospital admissions. We are calling on members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health to support our call to significantly increase the number of nurse specialists in neurology by up to 20 additional nurses per year over the next five years in line with the Model of Care for Neurology Services,” Ms Rogers said.

Neurological conditions affect the brain and spinal cord and are the leading cause of disability worldwide. They include many common conditions such as stroke, dementia, migraine, epilepsy and acquired brain injury, as well as rare and genetic conditions. For more information on the NAI, click here.