Professor Steve Thomas:

I might return to the Senator’s question in a roundabout way. In the austerity era, one thing that really held back some of the reform initiatives related to dealing and coping with the crisis. The pressure of Covid on waiting lists and staff has absorbed a lot of headspace, not least for those at the top of the Department of Health and the HSE. There probably needs to be a distinct governance structure that would lead on Sláintecare and provide the relevant resources, brainpower and energy and focus to it. Ultimately, of course, the heads of the Department of Health and the HSE will have responsibility, but there is a danger the authority lines will be blurred for those who can provide the relevant capacity and energy to drive the reform.