Beaumont Hospital in Dublin has asked people not to attend its A&E department unless "absolutely essential" after the number of people waiting admission today hit the highest-ever figure of 52.
The hospital said the measure was among a number being taken to address "extremely serious pressures" on its services.
Beaumont Hospital spokesman
A spokesman for the hospital said the number of patients awaiting admission from the emergency department at noon today was 45. "At one point earlier in the morning it was 52 - the highest it has ever been," he added.
"Our intention is obviously not to discourage visits by people who really need an emergency service, but we are urging everyone else to avoid putting additional pressure on an already seriously overstretched service," a spokesman said.
Beaumont said the situation had been "compounded by the increase in the number of long-stay patients to an unprecedented level.
"Beaumont now has over 100 patients waiting for a bed to become available in a more appropriate post-acute setting."
The hospital's spokesman said the Health Service Executive had been trying to obtain appropriate beds for these patients in north Dublin but "with little success to date.
"Later this year a new 100-bed unit is to be developed at St Joseph's Hospital in Raheny, which is under the management of Beaumont Hospital. In the meantime, however, the hospital is concerned that it may take weeks, if not months, before suitable beds become available," the spokesman said.
The hospital said it had done "everything possible" to alleviate the situation and had sought the support of other hospitals in the area.
"Measures taken include cancellation of all non-urgent inpatient and day case admissions in all specialities, prioritising urgent cases on the basis of clinical need, allocating 13 beds in the hospital's day ward for appropriate emergency department admissions and the continued use of a designated five-day ward as a seven-day ward," the spokesman said.
Beaumont said it "very much regrets" any additional stress that these measures will place on staff and the distress and inconvenience to patients.
HSE statement
In a statement this evening, the HSE said the issue at Beaumont was particularly related to the availability of long-stay care for patients who are being clinically discharged from the hospital.
"A significant number of long-term places are due to come on stream in Dublin - including 100 beds within two new community nursing units at St.Joseph's, Raheny and an additional 100 long-stay beds at St.Mary's Hospital during the course of this year," the statement added.
The HSE said it is also in discussions with current and prospective private nursing home providers "with a view to securing beds to allow additional discharges from hospitals".
In the immediate term, it is working "actively" with Beaumont to "deliver a solution to its current needs".
"To this end, the HSE has secured bed places from the private hospital sector which will become available this week. The Beaumont Convalescent Home is currently being refurbished and will be available in the next five weeks to take 36 patients.
"In addition, we expect 25 places to become available in the private nursing home sector during the same period."
The HSE said today's admission figures indicate there are 30 people waiting on admission at Beaumont Hospital, including four waiting over 24 hours.
"This compares with yesterday when they were 15 patients waiting over 24 hours at the hospital."
According to the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO), there were 392 patients awaiting admission from A&E units throughout the State today.
The next highest number of patients waiting in A&E was at Tallaght hospital, where the INO said there were 36 people on trolleys, followed by St Vincent's with 28.
Cavan General Hospital had 28 people on trolleys, while Our Lady of Lourdes, Drogheda, had 19, the INO said.