Professor David Keegan:

We have been approached by our colleagues in Galway and in Cork, and they are already well advanced with a programme from the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital to CHO 6 and CHO 7 with that. Through the national clinical programme we are sharing lessons from those because slightly different approaches are being adopted. We are probably going for a more entire system change and transformation than the other centres.

It is a lot for people to take on board. I think I can speak for the whole team when I say that we have grappled with the challenge put in front of us. We talked to the VACO and, particularly before the first EVSA, to Anne-Marie Keown and Mark Jeffery, who were part of the key team. There have been many moments when we wondered if this is too big a thing to take on. We have been fortunate with our transformation office to be able, with some facilitation, to take it on. The other parts of the country are interested in what we are doing. They will wait and see. There is some agitation about getting going with something similar straight away. Again, I would urge caution. We have to demonstrate true form first in order to be able to promote this for others to take up with integrity.