Dr. Clive Kilgallen:

It has to be a kind of team approach between the people on the ground, and then obviously the HSE and the Department working together. A forum like this is a very good place where both parties can hear what is going on.

There are several issues. One is obviously the investment, but there is also the idea of having local groups that are able to see and respond rapidly to what is happening around them. Rather than being stuck by a nurse, they would be able to identify specific issues and move on them quickly. They would not be able to solve everything but could identify cohorts of patients they could deal with immediately. For example, there may be a waiting list in a breast cancer unit. Not all of the people on this list may have obvious breast cancer but they may have breast pain or ill-defined symptoms and some will have cancer. It is about being able to target and move on cohorts of this kind. These groups are supposed to be able to respond rapidly within their local areas.