Emergency departments (EDs) across the country are hitting peak demand, without the resources to cope.
Christchurch ED had a record 412 people through its doors over a 24-hour period last week.
An ED nurse at Christchurch Hospital told Checkpoint the spike was because patients cannot get prompt appointments with GPs and waiting lines at after-hours emergency care were too long.
Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall said on Monday the government had been doing what it could to ease pressures, but fixing the problems - which largely emerged during the pandemic - would take time.
"We've had a plan from the beginning of winter to try and keep the pressure of our emergency departments across the country, including in Christchurch. Having said that, we're in one of the toughest points of the year," she told Checkpoint.
Staff were "doing it tough at the moment", she acknowledged.
"It is very busy… I think it's pretty clear since the pandemic, there has been increasing pressure on our emergency departments overall."
Listen to the full interview
Concerns at Christchurch Hospital were raised in April 2021, with 55 staff impact statements talking about burnout, unsafe patient loads and under-resourced staff.
Government figures from last October for care capacity suggested Christchurch ED needed roughly 140 full-time nurses to meet demand - there were currently about 108.
Asked if any hospital ED in the country had enough staff, Verrall acknowledged not all would.
"However, there is significant action under and significant improvement in the staffing levels because of the steps that the government has taken."
They included "making sure that general practitioners are supported to be able to order more of the diagnostics in the community so that patients don't need to go to the emergency department", "supporting pharmacies in order to enable them to help assist with minor ailments in the community" and boosting flu and Covid-19 vaccination rates.
"The number of healthcare workers we've had into the country is well into the thousands. General practice has received an increased focus from Te Whatu Ora in terms of now offering general practices support for international recruitment."
Verrall linked the increase in demand to Covid.
"Within hospitals we have a flow management programme that does have a focus on emergency departments that are hotspots around the country. But I acknowledge there is an increase in acute demand following on from the pandemic, and that is putting pressure on our hospitals. We're taking every sensible step we can to address those."
National Party health spokesperson Shane Reti this week said he had been out with 19 different ambulance crews, seeing what they deal with close-up and in person, between February and April.
Verrall said she had visited EDs and ambulance operator St John in the past, but would not be doing so "at the busiest time of year" amid a flu surge.