The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) says staff shortages at a care home in Co Mayo are replicated in facilities and hospitals all over the country.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) says it is engaged in hiring more staff at Áras Attracta in Swinford, and that it is hopeful a resolution can be found without affecting residents.

It comes after HIQA proposed cancelling registration for part of the facility, which caters for people with challenging behaviour.

The HSE says they are trying to rectify the situation, with extra staff recruited in the past fortnight.

It also says another 25 posts approved, so it can commission two new vacant bungalows.

Six people are facing charges of assaulting residents at the home, after a documentary was broadcast last year on RTÉ.

Bernard Gloster is interim chief officer for the HSE West Region.

"We are proposing to recruit another 25 specifically to open some of the vacant bungalows and to reduce the numbers of people that are in the existing bungalows" he told Newstalk Breakfast.

"How long will it take to recruitment them? Well last week we were talking about health and social care services across Ireland, particularly in relation to nursing and professional social care staff".

"And there is a shortage of those grades - not just in Ireland, but leaves the pressure on it right across Europe" he added.

He is hopeful that residents will not be affected by changes.

But INMO general secretary, Liam Doran, says a lack of staff is causing critical problems in health facilities across Ireland.