The Health Service Executive has rejected claims by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation that patient safety is being compromised by the way budget cuts are being implemented.
The Executive said there were service challenges, particularly in the western region, where a cost containment plan was being implemented and savings were being sought.
The HSE said that nationally patient safety remained the priority across all services.
Health unions met HSE management today to discuss the effect of cuts on services.
The meeting was attended by IMPACT, SIPTU and the INMO.
The INMO said it wants a national summit to deal with what it has claimed is a public health crisis.
The union, which represents over 40,000 nurses and midwives, said over 1,500 hospital beds are closed, overcrowding continues in emergency departments and frontline nursing staff are not being replaced.
