Mr. Éamonn Donnelly:

Frankly, with the way things are at the moment, if we lose a therapist it could take nine months to replace him or her. Let us say it is a head of discipline or a therapy manager who manages a service. He or she could be replaced on a temporary basis but somewhere along that line, and probably most likely at a basic grade level so it is at the level of direct intervention with a patient, one will lose the person.

The Senator made interesting comments about consultants. If one is about Sláintecare then it is not just about knowing a consultant is retiring and replacing him or her. One must also tackle the public-private mix in hospitals. There are all sorts of other associated arguments that we are familiar with.

I will outline my own view, and I am probably making the fatal mistake of thinking on my feet. One needs to know what one is planning for. If we are planning for all of the things that appear in Sláintecare I would say there a number of historical and cultural inhibitors that would stop us from getting all of that journey. It would not be too wild to imagine a system of six integrated care organisations or redefined health boards that do not have a political layer. We could start planning for that. I do not think that is too big an ask because it is necessary whether Sláintecare, in its entirety, happens.