(file image) Photo: 123RF
Christchurch's Emergency Department (ED) and an after-hours medical clinic experienced very high demand on Monday night, with the medical clinic not accepting new patients for a time.
The ED issued a warning on Facebook about 7pm, saying it was very busy and people should not come in unless it was a genuine emergency.
Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury acting Canterbury group director of operations, Lisa Blackler, said Mondays tended to be the busiest night of the week, and last night they saw 377 patients.
"There is no single reason for demand," Blackler said, "but we saw some complex patients last night and bed availability in the hospital impacted flow out of the ED.
"Patients are prioritised based on how unwell they are and there were long wait times for those who are less unwell."
She said that unless it was an emergency people were asked to call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free health advice 24/7, consider a virtual telehealth consultation with a registered New Zealand health practitioner for non-urgent health issues or visit HealthInfo Canterbury for advice from local Canterbury clinicians.
People with a medical emergency who require urgent assistance should call 111 immediately.
The city's 24 Hour Surgery medical centre was also very busy on Monday night.
A spokesperson said Sunday and Monday nights were typically the busiest nights of the week for 24 Hour Surgery.
"Last night, we saw an unusually high number of patients, which meant we needed to stop accepting new patients for a limited period of time."