Minister for Health James Reilly has said that closed hospital beds will stay closed until the financial situation improves.
Addressing the annual conference of the Irish Nurses' and Midwives' Organisation, Dr James Reilly said far too many patients still remain on trolleys in emergency departments.
This conference has been dominated by concern about staff shortages, patient safety and attempts to further cut nurses' pay.
Delegates were looking to the Health Minister's address for some answers.
Mr Reilly acknowledged that too many patients remained on trolleys.
He said that in future no patient should wait longer than nine hours, from arrival to departure at an emergency department.
Some delegates criticised the length of the minister's speech, just nine minutes and what they felt was a lack of substance.
Sheila Dickson, the union's president, said nurses and midwives did not want lectures from Government on the state of the nation, especially with Government advisors being paid salaries way above what a nurse with 20 years' service earned.
The union also called on the minister to get on with what they labelled "the long goodbye to the HSE".
