Sir, – An article (News, January 21st) quotes Valerie Cox as saying that once a person turns 65 they are no longer eligible for treatment at the National Rehabilitation Centre in Dún Laoghaire.
I wish to advise that on average up to 20 per cent of patients admitted to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) are over the age of 65. There is no policy to deny services to patients over the age of 65 who require specialist rehabilitation, and our website is clear on this point. It is not appropriate to comment on decisions on individual referrals.
When making decisions about admissions, the NRH carefully analyses referrals and seeks to provide the most appropriate intensive rehabilitation to referred patients. Not all referred patients need the NRH because the NRH is confident that there are many other facilities in Ireland which offer specialist rehabilitation for the over-65s. Such services can provide excellent rehabilitation without the need for access to the NRH.
I am delighted to advise that the NRH is ready to improve rehabilitation access with an increase in the number of available beds for rehabilitation. Our excellent new 120-bed facility on site will be ready to open in mid-2020.
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A major recruitment drive will be needed to staff this long awaited phase-one project which provides a 25 per cent increase in NRH rehabilitation beds. Our recruitment drive can progress as soon as the required additional HSE funding has been confirmed. – Yours, etc,
Prof MARK DELARGY,
Clinical Director,
National Rehabilitation
Hospital,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.