The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has claimed that patient safety is being put at risk because of bed closures and falling nurse numbers.
It says over 1,770 beds are closed and that over 960 nurses left the system in the last year, due to the recruitment embargo.
Chairman of the Health Sector Implementation Body Pat Harvey has said that hundreds of millions of euro have been saved in the health sector under the Croke Park Agreement.
Speaking at the opening of its three-day annual conference in Kilkenny, General Secretary Liam Doran called for legislation to guarantee a safe ratio of nurses to patients.
Mr Doran said safe care is being compromised by the staff recruitment embargo.
He has called on the Government to include a nurse graduate placement programme in its forthcoming jobs initiative.
Mr Doran said the INMO has proposed to the HSE that the 1,600 nurses who will graduate in the autumn should be employed for two years under the jobs initiative and that it would be a cost effective measure.
Over 350 delegates are attending the conference which will be addressed tomorrow by HSE chief Cathal Magee and by Minister for Health Dr James Reilly on Friday.
Meanwhile, Mr Harvey told conference that he had received a draft report on the health sector performance and that most items were on target.
Mr Harvey said that 4,000 fewer staff were now employed in the service, savings had been made in the laboratory area and with the centralisation of the medical card application system, and he was very pleased with progress.
