Mr. Marcus Keane:

I agree with the Chairman. In terms of reaching people, if somebody is struggling with drug use or living in chaotic and difficult circumstances, their focus is not always on engaging with healthcare systems. That is why it is important to bring the types of service the Chairman mentioned, the needle exchange, outreach services and other such services to people where they are in the community. The same thing is true of hepatitis C testing and treatment. We need to be able to reach people where they are. There are examples in Ireland of good practice in that regard, of peers going into community services, doing swab tests for hepatitis C and being able to link people in very quickly into services. When people have not always had good experiences of healthcare, having peers being able to go in and speak to people is the best way best way of reaching people. We have quotes in the report of people saying: "I am coming from the same place you were. I have this lived experience as well." That makes it so much more credible and real for people and makes them want to connect and engage with the service, particularly if they have not had good experiences of healthcare systems in the past.