Professor Deirdre Heenan:

No, I am saying that the research that the shared island unit has supported is in many cases excellent. It is first-class research, but it is project-specific on particular things such as healthcare imaging, cancer care and other areas of care. It is not looking at the policy agenda. We have an economic policy unit in Ulster University. Given that we spend 52% of our block grant on health, it is extraordinary that we do not have a health policy unit in the North. We spent £8.6 billion on healthcare this year. We should be understanding what other countries do and what can we learn from them. I am going back to visit Professor Raphael Bengoa in the spring. He has always said that the changes he made and was able to deliver in the Basque region were based on the fact that there was political will. When you ask him what was the most important ingredient, he does not say money, equipment or AI. He says the political will to make the changes.