Hospital managers and chief financial officers were told by Minister for Health Leo Varadkar to "get to grips'' with administration in the coming months.

Mr Varadkar said numbers attending emergency departments, as well as elective admissions, had decreased in January.

“What happened in January and February was that hospitals hired more staff and spent more money but saw fewer patients,’’ he added. “That is no acceptable.’’

Mr Varadkar said all hospital groups and hospitals had an increase in their budget allocation this year over last year.

“What we have no done is to allow them to incorporate their entire overrun last year into their base for this year,’’ he said. “This is very different.’’

Mr Varadkar said there could not be a situation where hospitals overran by 15 per cent or 16 per cent and received a further two per cent on top of that for the next year.

“We will not allow this,’’ he added.

The Minister was replying to Sinn Féin health spokesman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin who said it was already known the acute hospital network was facing severe resource difficulties.

Last year, there was a supplementary estimate and legislation had been passed whereby, allegedly, there would be no more and that so-called overspend figures would be carried forward.

“This is only laying the foundations for a future crisis,’’ Mr Ó Caoláin added. “There can be no other way to describe it.’’

The fact of the matter, he said, was there was a crisis period through January, February and into early March.

Mr Varadkar said the numbers of emergency and elective admissions were down. Despite this, there were problems with overcrowding, he added.

“There were additional staff and an additional spend,’’ said Mr Varadkar. “That is not acceptable.’’

Mr Ó Caoláin said there was overcrowding despite the reduced numbers.

Mr Varadkar said additional money was being provided for community beds, under the fair deal scheme, to free hospitals of the current level of delayed discharges.