Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

I was making the point that there is another aspect to the delay in implementing policy, namely, that service providers in certain areas have a view. For example, some time was required before the provision of a primary care centre in the north inner city of Dublin was secured because the matter had to be negotiated. It is not simply a question of the Government, the HSE or personnel not being prepared to move forward with a new model. Clearly, if people keep complaining that the model does not work sufficiently well, one has to advocate for the new model. As I understand it, everybody agrees that this model is a preparedness to develop community services, which involves ensuring that the acute hospital sector does not capture the level of resources it currently captures.

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