Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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293. To ask the Minister for Health the plans his Department has in place to try and avoid overcrowding in hospitals this winter; and if, in an effort to try and protect vulnerable patients, he will publicly encourage masking and clean air strategies in medical settings to reduce spread of infection. [40779/24]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As our health system faces into what is traditionally the most challenging periods of the year, I would like to assure the deputy that every measure is being taken to ensure the smooth running of our hospitals over the winter period. The UEC 2024-25 Plan was presented to Government in July of this year and one of the 4 pillars of the plan is hospital avoidance. This focuses on supporting patients in settings other than the Emergency Department and avoiding the need for inpatient care.

Amongst the initiatives involved in the plan are:

• Vaccine Preventable Illness, promote uptake of Influenza, Measles and COVID-19 vaccinations to improve compliance for all target groups including Healthcare Workers Specialist Care in the Community
• Community Specialist Teams (CSTs) for Chronic Disease Management to deliver 19,000 patient contacts each month. CSTs for Older Persons will deliver 11,750 patient contacts each month
• GP Out of Hours Work with GP Out of Hours Services to maintain/increase GP OOH contacts and reduce the level of GP OOH referrals to EDs
• NAS Care Pathways Maximise usage of existing NAS alternative care pathways
• Injury Units to provide a 7-day service, 8am to 8pm including Bank Holidays