Mr. Paul Reid:

I know our colleague Mr. O'Connor just clarified that 2024 is the target for the full implementation of regions but we are not waiting until 2024. What is happing on the ground today is integration, co-ordination and patient care. Ms Crehan-Roche and Mr. Canavan just gave examples of that. For example, the National Ambulance Service has a new way of delivering care not just through emergency departments but in people's homes. That is operating in Blanchardstown and will shortly go into Mr. Canavan's hospital in Galway. Advanced paramedics and specialists in acute services are going out to treat people in their homes. That is happening now. We want to see it rolled out across the country.

The community intervention teams are in place, as are the integrated teams for older persons - we saw many of them last week - and the chronic disease management teams. Community intervention teams are multidisciplinary teams. While it may take us until 2024 to have a structure and an organisation and a population-based health allocation of budgets, we are not waiting until then. Our enhanced community care programme is about doing this now.