niNCA Welcomes First Step on Neurology but Warns Major Investment Gap Remains
Today, the Minister published and endorsed the Regional Review of Neurology Services, alongside a formal announcement of £2.3 million in recurrent funding and the establishment of a dedicated Neurology Delivery Team.
Our Response
The Regional Review is a major opportunity to fix neurology services and improve care and support for people affected by neurological conditions. While it is disappointing that the additional funding identified by the Review has not been allocated, £2.3 million in recurring funding is a welcome first step to increasing capacity and beginning to reduce waiting times.
However, the scale of the challenge remains considerable. The Review identifies significant shortcomings in workforce capacity, access to services, and care coordination, estimating that full implementation will require £65.4 million in additional funding over its first five years. Progress cannot rely on service redesign and existing resources alone.
Urgent investment is needed across every aspect of neurology:
Consultant capacity
Specialist nursing
Allied health professionals
Psychology
Inpatient and community services
Condition-specific pathways
Care coordination
Access to specialist support in every Trust
The £2.3 million must be the beginning of sustained investment, not a substitute for the wider reform the Review says is necessary.
niNCA welcomes the commitment to establish a dedicated Neurology Delivery Team, but it must act quickly, involve people with lived experience and the voluntary and community sector, and publish a credible implementation plan that shows how this initial funding will lead to the delivery of the Review in full.
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."
