Neurology diagnoses taking over six months

ALMOST two out of every five people with neurological conditions including stroke, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s have to wait more than half a year before they are diagnosed.

Figures by Neurological Alliance Ireland show that potentially seriously ill patients are having their treatment delayed as a direct result of low specialist consultant numbers and poor rural services.

According to the group, which represents 30 neurological charities and 700,000 people affected by brain conditions, 38% of its members have had to wait more than six months for diagnosis.

A further 42% said after diagnosis they faced a further half-year wait to receive vital treatment. The fact that Ireland has just 24 consultant neurologists — and just one north of the Galway-Dublin line — was given as a key reason for the delays.

“Further cuts to state funding for neurological charities will compound the dreadful state of neurological care experienced by 700,000 people and their families in Ireland,” chairwoman Anne Winslow said.

The survey figures emerged as senior officials in the HSE South confirmed some patients at Cork University Hospital (CUH) are waiting up to three years for an outpatient neurology appointment at the facility.

The statistics, revealed at the latest regional health forum meeting, showed 59 patients at are waiting at least two years for an outpatient consultant neurology appointment.

In all, 2,719 people with potentially serious conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, motor neuron disease or who are undergoing brain tumour management, have been told they face significant delays for treatment.

The HSE’s integrated service area manager for Cork Ger Reaney said the fact that CUH receives referrals from other hospitals and is the designated neuroscience centre should be factored into any criticism.

He added that further consultant neurologist appointments are being planned to address the issue.

However, consultant neurologist at Beaumont Hospital, Professor Orla Hardiman, said despite relative improvements in services in the past decade the level of care provided is continuing to lag far behind international norms.

“At Beaumont, which like CUH is a specialist referral centre, we have on average 100 patients a week, 20 to 30 of whom are new.

There are now 24 neurologists in Ireland for 4.5 million people and that highlights the access to services, particularly in Limerick and in Sligo where there is just one consultant working for each city, she said.

“There’s going to be an overflow of waiting lists in the coming years unless we do something because of improved stroke treatment and an ageing population, so these figures are the tip of the iceberg really,” she said.

* www.thinkingahead.ie