Ms Yvonne O'Neill:

I thank Professor Kelleher. There would not be a significant variation between the level of Covid staff leave across the hospital and community sectors. One thing we experienced at the height of the third wave, in February, was that, on average, an outbreak could result in about 20 staff being on Covid leave. The good news now in terms of the positive trends that were referred to earlier is that where we have outbreaks, the level and severity, as Dr. MacLellan said, are much lower, so we would be talking about an average of perhaps four staff being on leave. We will all watch across the system for the impact of what has been termed long Covid. Certainly, there is both the psychosocial response to which Professor Kelleher referred and occupational health's wider response in terms of continued symptoms and the health sector overall through the chief clinical office. It is a matter of reviewing what we would envisage is in the response that will be required to that expected long Covid experience. The other thing about staffing levels, to which the Chairman referred, is that one of the other recommendations arising from the expert panel concerns the workforce planning component for the continued models of care. That will be a key part of the ongoing work across all the providers. I just wanted to come back on those two points.