An ‘unacceptable' number of hospital patients have had essential surgeries cancelled and waiting lists are ‘spiraling out of control', hospital consultants have claimed.

According to the Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA), surgeries and other procedures are being cancelled due to cuts to frontline resources and a shortage of beds.

"The capacity and integrity of acute hospitals is being compromised due to this inordinate failure to urgently address the frontline resource crisis. We urgently need more resources to reduce the overcrowding and increasing waiting lists," commented IHCA president, Dr Gerard Crotty.

He pointed out that at the end of January 2015, over 63,700 patients were waiting for essential inpatient and day case treatments compared to just over 47,000 at the end of January 2014 - a 35% increase. Meanwhile the number of patients waiting for outpatient appointments has risen from almost 309,500 to almost 395,800 during the same period - an increase of 28%.

"Acute hospitals need increased funding but in reality this year's budget is €35 million less than last year's actual spend and fails to address the continuing underfunding problems. The effect of demographic factors also adds an estimated 3% to demand on an annual basis, so as a result of these two factors alone, the acute hospital system is underfunded this year by €155 million," Dr Crotty claimed.

He said that the IHCA has written to the HSE and the Emergency Department (ED) Task Force asking for more essential frontline resources, including more beds and the appointment of more consultants.