Ms Paddie Blaney:

I would like to echo what has been said about education and training. My colleagues have covered the other points very well. I absolutely agree that palliative care principles should underpin all professional education and training in this area. The HSE has led some work which will facilitate that. It will be critical to take that forward and make it happen. If we are broadening out our understanding of what palliative care is and the timescale involved, we also need to broaden out who needs the education and training. If we broaden out our understanding of palliative care beyond cancer, we will appreciate that it is not confined to just one bit of the whole health system. In such circumstances, it will become clear that the whole health and social care sector needs education and training. I suggest that we also need to appreciate the need to learn about and understand families and patients, as well as their carers, neighbourhoods and communities. I thank the committee for allowing me to make that illustration.