Dr. Peter Kelly:

We conducted a scoping review at Trinity College Dublin. The evidence overwhelmingly shows that where the legislation is introduced, prescribing will progress and this increases the number of people in treatment. Where it is supported, then, the evidence is that what I referred to occurs, particularly in relation to hard-to-reach people, people in rural areas and people from lower socioeconomic groups. There is another aspect of this work too because we are conducting focus groups now. We have done one in Australia and two in the US. What is overwhelmingly coming through there is that most medical practitioners, or at least those I have spoken to, are in favour of nurse prescribing. It makes sense to them and would probably free up their time in the clinics. Where this has been obstructed, it is often because of a territorial issue and it can come down to financial incentives too. If nurses were to come in, those financial incentives might be removed. There is a territorial issue here as well. I think it is pretty safe to say that at this stage.