Management at the Mater hospital in Dublin has rejected claims by the Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) today that its accident and emergency department posed a "risk to life".
In a statement issued this evening, the Mater said it "categorically refutes" the statement that its A&E department is out of control.
"The INO's comments are very unhelpful to the needs of both patients and nurses at the hospital coming at a time when the Mater is gearing to reopen beds and recruit additional nursing staff following the financial cutbacks earlier this year," the statement said.
It added that the number of patients currently awaiting beds has been reduced to 20 people from 29 earlier today.
"The Mater Hospital has been operating under difficult circumstances all year due to the dual effect of bed closures for financial reasons and the inappropriate use of the hospital's acute beds for long-stay patients whocould not gain access to more suitable step-down care andaccommodation."
The hospital said it had already begun to reopen some closed beds as a matter of urgency.
"However it has been hampered in this regard by difficulty in recruiting sufficient nurses to staff the beds."
The hospital management will meet with the INO this evening to discuss the current situation.
The statement said the hospital will "continue to do everything in its power" to improve the situation in A&E in the short and longer term.
The INO claimed the situation at the Mater's A&E had worsened today, with one elderly lady spending her fifth day on a trolley and a severe lack of space causing overcrowding.
The nursing union said ambulance availability and emergency services were affected and that the resuscitation unit was being used to treat other patients, meaning there was "nowhere to resuscitate patients with dignity".