The meeting between HSE West management and Mayo deputies planned for this afternoon has been postponed.

Deputies were informed this morning that the meeting has been deferred until next week. No date or time has been fixed as yet.

With severe cuts in the national health budget to be imposed between now and the end of this year, the impact on local services remains sketchy.

Today's meeting was to outline to deputies the cuts to health services in this region.

For more than two weeks now – Midwest News has become aware of cuts that are proposed at Mayo General, but the HSE West has refused to comment on any specific cuts that we have raised with it.

Midwest news understands that  further reduction of medical beds at Mayo General together with the closure of some orthopeadic beds and a reduction in theatre services at the hospital are all likely casualties of the budget cutbacks.