The Health Service Executive has announced a series of major cuts in the northeast in an effort to reduce the overspend in the region.

A total of 50 beds are to close, most of them permanently, in the Louth-Meath hospital group.

Twenty-four will go in the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk, nine in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan and one critical care bed will shut permanently.

A total of 16 beds in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda will also close, but only temporarily.

Some operating theatres will also remain closed for longer to increase savings.

In addition, all agency staff will go by 1 December, while all overtime is to go before then.

The first of the cuts will come into effect this Saturday.

Unions representing the staff were informed of the cuts at a briefing this afternoon.

Tony Fitzpatrick, chairman of the Louth-Meath hospital group union, expressed grave concern about the impact of the cuts on staff and patient safety.

He also said they believed the HSE had breached the Croke Park Agreement through its handling of the cuts.

A formal complaint has been lodged with the Health Service Implementation Body.

However, the HSE said the hospital group was heading towards a deficit of €20m, which was unsustainable.

It said cuts were necessary to ensure services could be maintained in all three hospitals.

To replace the hospital beds 33 transitional care beds are being commissioned in private and public nursing homes.

Dr Dominic O'Brannagain, Clinical Director of the hospital group, said there may be a lengthening of waiting lists but their priority was to ensure emergency access for those who needed it.