Psychiatric nurses at St Loman's hospital in Dublin are likely to escalate their dispute into a full-scale strike next week if they receive no commitments on increased staffing.
The hospital is the main provider of acute residential care for west Co Dublin and it also has a large geriatric unit.
Yesterday, staff at the hospital held a one-day strike. All out-patient and community care services were cancelled, but emergency cover was provided for residential patients.
The chairman of the local branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, Mr Malachy Nugent, said the dispute is about staffing, delivery of services to patients and the safety of patients and staff.