New figures show how there has been increased pressures on the MidWest's health services so far this year.
HSE figures show the number of emergency admissions at Dooradoyle is up 10%, and how maternity services have also experienced a surge in 2015.
Following a breakdown in talks at the Workplace relations Commission, it's expected that INMO members could embark on a work-to-rule in the Ennis Road hospital.
Hospital management warn this could cause disruption, and both sides agree that more midwives are required at the Ennis Road site.
These new figures appear to suggest that this is indeed the case.
In the eight months to August, the number of births of the hospital was up by nearly 5% while compared with the same time last year. This is the highest of any hospital in the country, while over a third of mothers have undergone c-sections, one of the highest figures in the country.
Meanwhile, the number of people admitted to the emergency Department at Dooradoyle has climbed by 2,000 or over 10% in the same timeframe.
Overcrowding has been a long-running issue in the E.D., but management are hopeful that the addition of 30 new net beds to the system this month will ease pressures.
