Professor David Keegan:

Absolutely. I will pass over to Ms Ryan to talk specifically about paediatrics and integration because the CHI is living that with the new children's hospital being built. The learning will come. We strongly feel we have to demonstrate form, not to bring a load of people on board with words and vision. They are nice words, we have had nice feedback here and we know our strategy looks nice on a page, but we want clear evidence that there are reductions in waiting lists and reductions in vision impairment and blindness through this method. It has not been used in this country previously, so it is when it is clear and it looks sustainable.

There are data on slides Nos. 6 and 7 showing the impact of a NTPF initiative that reduced the waiting list for outpatients but that has raised the waiting list for cataract surgeries because there is no balance between the two. We have had NTPF waiting lists for cataract surgery in the past where we have markedly reduced and halved the wait list in some situations. Then the funding tap turns off and it just climbs back up again.

What is key to this transformation is sustainability. We are also committed to reducing the unit cost for eye care delivery across the board. When we have demonstrated something tangible, it is only then we go to somebody with integrity, our colleagues and the rest of the country and tell them that this is the way to go.