Northern Ireland Health Minister Robbie Butler has endorsed the Regional Review of Neurology published last month and has committed £2.3million in recurrent funding to help increase capacity and reduce the waiting lists.
The Northern Ireland Neurological Charities Alliance (niNCA) has welcomed this funding as a “first step” in rebuilding NI neurology services, but says it is “disappointing” that the additional funding identified by the review hasn’t yet been allocated.
The review, published on 7 September, urged the NI government to fund a reform of the neurology services with £13m over five years (£65.4 million in total) to improve the care for people with neurological conditions in the country and save £869 million a year.
The niNCA said that progress cannot reply on service redesign and existing resource alone. The group is calling for urgent investment in consultant capacity, specialist nursing, allied health professionals, psychology and impatient and community services, as well as condition-specific pathways, care coordination and access to specialist support in every Trust.
The niNCA has also welcomed the commitment to establishing a dedicated Neurology Delivery Team, saying it must act quickly and involve people with lived experience as well as the voluntary and community sector.
Sarah McCully Russell, chair of niNCA, said: “£2.3m is a welcome first step, but it isn’t enough to fully transform services. The Minister must ensure the Neurology Delivery Team has the leadership, accountability and authority to drive real change. The neurological community has waited long enough. We need immediate action so people across Northern Ireland get the quality care and support they desperately need.”
Alison Fuller, Epilepsy Action director of Health Influencing & Improvement, said: “It’s a significant step forward to hear the Minister has endorsed the review and committed funding to increasing capacity and reducing waiting lists. Neurology services are currently in crisis for people living with epilepsy in Northern Ireland. More than 28,000 people are waiting for their first neurology appointment, with some facing waits of more than seven years. For people with epilepsy, that means living in limbo without the specialist assessment and answers they need.
“The new funding the Minister has pledged will go some way to addressing this, but it’s vital the Delivery Team has the resources and support to ensure this commitment results in action and real change for the 22,000 people living with epilepsy in Northern Ireland. Every delay in treatment and care has real consequences, and in many cases long lasting impacts, for people with epilepsy and their families.”
You can help to encourage change by getting in touch with your MLA, asking them to hold the Delivery Team to account by making sure the funding is properly used to make change for people with epilepsy.