Left Behind: The Price of Inaction on Neurology Reform
Failure to reform neurology services costing Northern Ireland nearly £870 million a year
Today we launched Left Behind: The Price of Inaction on Neurology Reform, commissioned by the Northern Ireland Neurological Charities Alliance (niNCA) and prepared by MW Advocates. It estimates that neurological conditions cost Northern Ireland £2.72 billion a year, equivalent to 4.3% of GDP.
Northern Ireland is losing nearly £870 million a year because of delays to urgently needed reform of neurology services, a new report has found.
An estimated 40,000 people in Northern Ireland live with a long-term neurological condition, with tens of thousands waiting for specialist care. The report finds that an annual investment of £13 million over five years, less than 0.16% of the health budget, could deliver up to £869 million a year in avoided economic costs, including lower healthcare spending, improved productivity and reduced pressure on unpaid carers.
Key Findings:
£2.72 billion: annual cost of neurological conditions to Northern Ireland’s economy.
£869 million: potential annual savings from implementing recommended reforms.
£13 million per year: investment required to deliver these savings - 0.16% of the health budget.
28,188 people: currently waiting for a first neurology appointment, with some waiting over seven years.
Neurology has the longest waiting times of any speciality in Northern Ireland.
The report warns that inaction is not a neutral option. Delays in diagnosis and treatment lead to worsening health, greater demand for emergency care, and fewer people able to stay in work.
In 2018, the Department of Health commissioned a Regional Review of Neurology Services in response to mounting pressures on care. Although the final report, published in 2025, set out a clear road map for change, implementation and funding have stalled.
Sarah McCully Russell, Chair of niNCA said: “The Health Minister can no longer afford to delay neurology reform. This is not just the right thing to do for patients; it’s the smart thing to do for our economy.
“People have already waited almost ten years for improvements to neurology services. That is unacceptable. Every year reform is delayed, Northern Ireland loses hundreds of millions of pounds that could be spent improving lives and supporting our health system. This wasn’t sustainable ten years ago, and it’s certainly not sustainable now.”
The neurology community needs action now and we call for the Minister of Health to prioritise and fully fund Neurology reform.
