There are fears for the future of the psychiatric unit at University Hospital Waterford.
It's after pictures emerged this week of mental health patients sleeping on floors and chairs at the hospital due to overcrowding
The Mental Health Commission says a meeting is to take place in the coming weeks to consider the future of the unit.
Chair of the Waterford Branch of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, Leish Caulfield says the situation is very concerning:
"We have to provide a service that is of a standard and at the minute that standard is not being met.
"This is an ongoing issue for over two years.
"This issue of overcapacity and the overreliance on our acute inpatient services has been highlighted for many, many months to senior management, to the HSE and to our governing body.
"This is not something that happened today or yesterday, this has been building."
