Hospital services in the south-east were almost back to normal yesterday.
The main exception was Waterford Regional Hospital, where ear, nose and throat operations were not due to resume until Monday, according to a spokeswoman for the South Eastern Health Board.
Otherwise, the hospital was operating normally for the first time in nearly three weeks, having initially been affected by a dispute involving non-medical staff which forced it to cancel non-emergency procedures eight days before the nurses' strike.
The board is unable to say how long it will take to clear the backlog of cases built up in the region.
Union leaders in the region now face a tough task in convincing nurses that the Labour Court proposals provided a reason to call off the strike.
Mr Don Culliton of the Irish Nurses' Organisation said there was some frustration about the offer, but there were a lot more positive things in them than some had initially realised.
There had been a lot of misinformation concerning some aspects, such as how the 2,500 new senior staff posts would be allocated, he said.
