The new Winter Plan for the HSE should have a focus on more homecare provisions, which will free up hospital space.
That's according to Sam McConkey, Head of the Department of International Health and Tropical Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Minister Stephen Donnelly is to announce the plan at Cabinet on Tuesday.
It comes amid fears of a so-called 'twindemic' of COVID-19 and flu in the coming months.
Prof McConkey told Pat Kenny that he welcomes plans for extra hospital beds, but it will be just as important to help people at home.
"I think that's very, very welcome,” he said. “The expansion in hospital beds.
"I think also helping with, in the last two years, discharge planning and what I would call homecare packages and temporary supports for activity of daily living and for care needs."
He said this should include people who are "medically fit to go home, but still need help with shopping and washing and transfers and toileting.
"Many folk don't have the power to do that themselves,” he said. “[They] don't live with anyone or family members who could do it and need support with those activities of daily living."
'It comes down to staffing'
Prof McConkey said many people would rather be at home.
"Many of us want to live at home and don't want to go into long-term for lots of good reasons,” he said. “But there's a need for support for those living at home to be scaled up.”
"That would help folk in the hospitals to get out the same day as they're medically fit for discharge."
He said the issue, again, comes down to staffing.
"There's a shortage of staff in many sectors in Ireland now, but that's also true for the homecare services,” he said.
"We've all really valued those people for the last two years through COVID - very little COVID transmission for those who were at home getting homecare packages.
"That's a really good model that many of us have realised just how good it is through COVID; but it really needs staff and to be scaled up."
'We have to get lucky'
Anthony Staines, professor of health systems at the School of Nursing and Human Sciences at DCU, has previously said Ireland has to 'get lucky' this winter to keep the health system running.
Speaking last month, he said: "The good news is the Australian flu season - although it was significant - wasn't as bad as their worst flu seasons have been.
"So please God we'll be in the same situation, with a more normal flu season.
"But if we come in with a flu season and the current levels of COVID - and levels of COVID are going down... but may not continue.
"And if we get both of those - if we get lucky on both of those - we might squeak through this winter.
"What we can do about it [is] we can get vaccinated, it's as simple as that," he added.
