Staff vacancies and large numbers of sick people have forced Dunedin Hospital to postpone some “planned care”.
Te Whatu Ora Southern has warned patients the hospital is “very busy”.
“This is due to large numbers of very unwell people coming into the emergency department, along with staff illness and vacancies.
“This problem is not isolated to the Southern region – many hospitals around the country are very busy,” a spokesperson said.
It acknowledged waiting at the emergency department was stressful and said all patients would be triaged by an experienced nurse on arrival, with the sickest patients seen first.
