The Labour Relations Commission is to intervene in the dispute by accident and emergency nurses which resulted in the deferral of a large number of planned admissions at acute hospitals yesterday.
The commission's intervention came at the invitation of the Minister for Health, Mr Martin.
It was welcomed last night by the Health Services Employers Agency. The agency's chief executive, Mr Gerard Barry, said he hoped it could pave the way to an early resolution of the dispute.
He urged nurses to suspend their industrial action pending LRC talks.
The Nursing Alliance said it would accept the invitation to talks which are expected to begin tomorrow. However the INO general secretary, Mr Liam Doran, confirmed industrial action in the form of a work-to-rule by A&E nurses would continue during the talks.
The work-to-rule by up to 800 A&E nurses began at 2 p.m. yesterday following a two-hour strike by nurses over conditions for both themselves and patients in A&E. They are protesting at overcrowding in casualty, lack of privacy for patients who have to spend days on trolleys and at their own unsafe working environment.
During the work-to-rule, nurses will refuse to take blood samples, do ECGs, do portering duties or clerical work, except for maintaining essential nursing records.
Yesterday's strike had the potential to cause long delays for patients presenting in casualty but most seem to have heeded the advice of health boards, hospitals and doctors to stay away from A&E if at all possible and attend their GP instead. Most units were quiet during the work stoppage.
In preparation for the strike, many hospitals deferred planned admissions to free up beds on wards to which patients on trolleys in A&E could be transferred. A spokeswoman for the major acute hospitals in the eastern region said "a large number" of planned admissions had been deferred to take pressure off A&E departments.
"These elective admissions were deferred following clinical assessment. Patients whose admissions have been deferred will be given new appointments as soon as possible," an Eastern Regional Health Authority spokeswoman said. She said difficulties could be anticipated during the work-to-rule and renewed an appeal to the public to continue to stay away from A&E if at all possible.
Those who ignored this advice and attended with minor injuries could face long delays. Most non-emergency services, including out-patients, day patients and elective admissions would continue as scheduled today.
"It is important that patients attend at their appointed time unless they are otherwise notified by the hospital. A small number of in patient and day patient admissions may have to be deferred. These patients will be notified by the relevant hospital," she added.
The chairman of the Irish Patients Association, Mr Stephen McMahon, said the work-to-rule was unnecessary and he hoped nurses would reconsider their action pending tomorrow's talks. What was most important now was the putting in place of a proper human relations framework where there would be trust between employees and management.