Mr. Paul Reid:

Mr. Watt may want to comment on some of the policy issues. To answer the Deputy's first question on older persons' care in the community, we now have national coverage for the community intervention teams and they are multidisciplinary teams. It is fair to say that some areas are more mature than others both in terms of the step-down process and integration between the hospital and the community. Some of my colleagues who work in services might want to comment. What we have seen are significant extra resources working between the acute hospitals. For example, consultant geriatricians are now working part-time in the community, that is half their time in the community and half their time through what we call the integrated care for older persons process. Personally I have seen a lot of older persons getting their care in primary care centres or places closer to their home.