A Dublin hospital had to go off call yesterday and divert ambulances elsewhere such was the level of overcrowding in its A&E unit.
The crux faced by the Mater Hospital in the afternoon came a day after Beaumont Hospital faced a similar predicament and was forced to go off call and seek the services of other hospitals.
Some elective surgery has been cancelled by Beaumont due to the pressure on its A&E unit which will be visited today by the interim chief executive of the Heath Service Executive, Mr Kevin Kelly, who wants to see the difficulties at first hand.
The president of the Irish Hospital Consultant's Association, Dr Josh Keaveney, said bed numbers had to be increased and the Department of Health had to be "more aggressive" at picking up vacant nursing home beds to help ease the ongoing problem.
As the A&E crisis continued yesterday with more than 250 patients on trolleys across the State, several hospitals were also attempting to contain outbreaks of the winter vomiting bug.
Tallaght Hospital confirmed it had "several clusters" of patients with symptoms. St James's Hospital also had 11 patients with symptoms and there were small numbers of cases reported at Beaumont, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore and St Joseph's Geriatric Hospital in Ennis.
The ongoing A&E difficulties are due to be raised in the Dáil tomorrow.
Meanwhile at a meeting last night members of Patient Focus urged politicians in the north- east to put pressure on the Tánaiste and Minister for Health Ms Harney to set up a redress board for women allegedly damaged by the former obstetrician Dr Michael Neary but whose files are missing and who are therefore unable to mount claims for damages in court. A redress board is vital also for those who cannot sue due to lapse of time or who could not face the trauma of a civil case, Patient Focus said.
Dr Neary has been struck off the medical register over the unnecessary removal of 10 patients' wombs.