Contingency plans have been put in place in Beaumont Hospital after the weekend's overcrowding in the Accident and Emergency Department.
The hospital's chief executive, Mr John Lamont, in a statement issued this morning, said plans were in motion to seek additional nursing resources to help open extra beds. But he said bed shortages continued to put severe pressure on acute hospitals.
All elective surgery admissions have been cancelled for today, and consultants were brought in to carry out ward rounds over the weekend in an effort to discharge suitable patients to free up beds.
Mr Lamont said that early today around 15 people in A&E were waiting admission to the main hospital.
He said the A&E faces a continuing high level of demand for services, but the situation at the weekend was worse than usual and the situation was made more difficult because of problems in obtaining cover from other hospitals.
Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, said the crisis faced by Beaumont this weekend was "symptomatic of the cutbacks" in the health service and called for a commitment from the Taoiseach that essential services will not face further cutbacks.
Fine Gael's spokesperson for health and children, Ms Olivia Mitchell has called on the Government to publish the Hanley report on the health system.
"The time for talking about reform of the health service is over and Health Minister Micheál Martin must now take action. He must immediately publish the Hanley Report on the configuration of hospitals and their manpower needs".
Sinn Fein's health spokesperson, Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain, called on the Government to drop plans to close more A&E units around the State and described the situation in Beaumont as "scandalous".
Green Party health spokesman Mr John Gormley accused the Minister for Health of being in "denial" over the need to provide extra beds for acute hospitals.
Mr Gormley said that "unless Minister Martin delivers on the commitments regarding A&E services contained within the 2001 Health Strategy, members of the public will legitimately regard it as no more than a sophisticated PR exercise designed to ensure the Government's re-election last May".
Last night the Irish Nurses' Organisation's industrial relations officer, Mr Philip McAnenly, said hospitals such as the Mater and James Connolly Memorial in Blanchardstown could come under similar pressure very soon if the pattern of bed closures continues.