The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has warned patient safety is being jeopardised because of budget restrictions in the health service.
The INMO warned the health service is now under "unbearable pressure" and standards of care are inevitably dropping.
Speaking at a conference on patient safety in an era of cuts, General Secretary Liam Doran said "patient outcomes are being compromised arising from shortage of staff, increased patient dependency and delays in accessing treatment".
The conference at Croke Park was addressed by a former director the Mid-Staffordshire Health Service in the UK where cuts and a drop in patient care led to a number of investigations between 2008 and 2010.
Mike Gill spoke about how initial achievements in meeting financial targets were overshadowed by a dramatic fall in the standard of care, which it is estimated led to around 400 unnecessary deaths.
The INMO said the experience of Mid Staffordshire "must be heard and understood by our Minister and our Government, we must all ensure that patient care is never demoted to second place".
