Beaumont Hospital has become the third hospital to postpone non-urgent procedures tomorrow because of an increase in the number of people presenting to its emergency department.

All non-urgent elective procedures due to take place at Cork University Hospital (CUH) and the Mater Hospital were postponed today.

Earlier on Health Minister Leo Varadkar said the cancellation of elective surgeries - while regrettable - is part of the escalation measures agreed with nurses to ease pressure in EDs.

HSE figures show there were 253 patients on trolleys this afternoon - with 185 of these waiting over nine hours.

 

The INMO says the real number is likely to be higher, as St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin was unable to supply their total.

Minister for Health Leo Varadkar says everything that can be done is being done to tackle the overcrowding.

Mr Varadkar says the cancellation of operations is proof that measures to tackle overcrowding is working.

CUH Emergency Department Consultant Stephen Cusack says they are currently dealing with 20% more patients - despite diminishing resources.

"You know at one point, our department - just to give people a picture - our department has 17 spaces in which to see patients - and at 6 o'clock yesterday evening, we had 102 patients in the department being processed" he said.

Professor Michael O'Keefe, a consultant at the Mater Hospital, has described the system as dysfunctional.

One woman in her 70s attended the Emergency Department at the Mater Hospital in Dublin yesterday.

She was told they were too busy to carry out an ultrasound on her.