Brian Stanley: Portlaoise woman faces four-year wait for care
Brian Stanley raises the case of a Portlaoise woman who was not diagnosed with scoliosis until age 17 and who now faces serious mobility problems after surgery and a four-year wait for neurology services. He asks the Minister for Health and the Department to address gaps in adult occupational therapy and community rehabilitation in the Midlands.
Brian Stanley sets out the constituent's story: late diagnosis, surgery last December, post-operative tremors that affected her ability to walk, and now reliance on a rollator or stick. After being refused access to other neurological clinics because they are full, she faces a four-year wait at the Mater Neurological Clinic and is effectively left in limbo.
Stanley highlights the absence of adult OT services locally and cites research that in the Midlands 58% of neurological patients have no access to community rehab. He emphasises that there is no adult recovery or primary care OT available in Leash and that many patients are meeting a brick wall when seeking help.
The Ministerial representative acknowledged the delay and said the issue would be raised with the Minister for Health, noting broader work on primary care improvements and waiting-list interventions. Stanley presses for targeted action to address the specific shortfalls in access to neurology, community rehab and occupational therapy in the Midlands.
The address underlines the human cost of waiting lists and service shortages: a young person unable to return to work, with deteriorating mobility, and limited local options for rehabilitation. Brian Stanley calls on the Department and the Minister for Health to prioritise local adult OT and community rehab capacity so patients are not left without a route to recovery.
Case details
Brian Stanley sets out the constituent's story: late diagnosis, surgery last December, post-operative tremors that affected her ability to walk, and now reliance on a rollator or stick. After being refused access to other neurological clinics because they are full, she faces a four-year wait at the Mater Neurological Clinic and is effectively left in limbo.
Local service gaps
Stanley highlights the absence of adult OT services locally and cites research that in the Midlands 58% of neurological patients have no access to community rehab. He emphasises that there is no adult recovery or primary care OT available in Leash and that many patients are meeting a brick wall when seeking help.
Ministerial response and next steps
The Ministerial representative acknowledged the delay and said the issue would be raised with the Minister for Health, noting broader work on primary care improvements and waiting-list interventions. Stanley presses for targeted action to address the specific shortfalls in access to neurology, community rehab and occupational therapy in the Midlands.
Implications
The address underlines the human cost of waiting lists and service shortages: a young person unable to return to work, with deteriorating mobility, and limited local options for rehabilitation. Brian Stanley calls on the Department and the Minister for Health to prioritise local adult OT and community rehab capacity so patients are not left without a route to recovery.
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Transcript
A three-year-old woman from Portlaoise wasn't diagnosed with scoliosis until she was 17 years of age due to inadequate services. She had surgery last December and four weeks later developed tremors in her leg which affected her ability to walk, which means she has to use a rollator or a stick. Her condition has worsened. She has serious mobility problems. She's facing a four-year wait with the Mater Neurological Clinic to get services. She's been refused access with other neurological clinics as they're full up, so she's meeting the brick wall. So after having to wait until 17 to have a diagnosis and 23 to have a surgical intervention, she's left in limbo. She's anxious to get back to work, but she can't. She has no access to adult OT services. Nobody else has, by the way, as there's none in Cowtie Leash. I've raised this many times here on the floor at the Dáil and with the Minister. Research has found that in the Midlands, 58% of neurological patients have no access to community rehab. So the situation in Leash in the Midlands, in Leash in particular, there's a four-year wait to get to a clinic and to see somebody. There's 58% have no access to community rehab and we have absolutely no adult recovery and we have no OT services for primary care in Leash. Can I ask the Minister for Health and the Department to address this please? Thank you Deputy Scanlon. Stanley, I know you have a very significant concern in relation to your constituent, which absolutely is waiting too long. I will raise this issue with the Minister for Health, but I would point out that we have done a huge amount in relation to primary care improvements and reducing waiting lists. We've had our intervention specifically for waiting lists to reduce them. So I will raise this specific issue with the Minister for Health and bring it to our attention.