Mr. David Walsh:

I thank the Deputy. There is an absolute requirement to press on with the development and enhancement of our integrated care programme for older persons, which will bring more clinical expertise into the field to support people both at home and in long-term care. When those teams were available earlier in the year, they made a very positive contribution.

Dr. MacLennan mentioned the infection prevention and control plans, which have now been funded. The question then becomes whether people are out there who are qualified to take up those posts. We are currently trying to recruit those people but we need to, step by step, increase the level of that clinical expertise in infection prevention and control across the community, with very clear links back to the acute teams.

It is critical that we continue to develop home support, which a number of the committee member colleagues have mentioned, and to develop the structures around it in the way that we assess people and how we provide and manage that service.

Community health networks will be critical supports to general practice. General practice is the bedrock of health care in the community. We need to press on with our plans to develop these networks, which will lead to better availability of key skills in the community such as occupational therapy, physiotherapy and all the other therapies that will help keep people at home.