Thirteen planned surgeries were postponed between Monday and Friday last week, the hospital warning the public it was very busy due to high emergency department (ED) demand along with staff vacancies and illness.
In 11 of 12 months, it appeared more people were being seen in that time frame than actually were.
This ranged from a 0.2% overshoot in May, for which the initial figure was 75% rather than 74.8%, to an overshoot of more than 20% in December, where the figure was first given as 93.1% before being changed to 70.3%.
National health spokesman Dr Shane Reti expressed concern at the figures, saying they made Dunedin’s ED look better than it actually was.
"Apart from now not trusting any of HNZ’s data, the question we now have is whether resources were moved or not given to Dunedin ED because [it seemed] they were doing better than they actually were," he said.
HNZ chief executive Margie Apa apologised for the confusion, and said the issue needed to be addressed.
"A review of the Te Whatu Ora assurance process is now under way, led by Dr Dale Bramley, National Director Improvement and Innovation."
Trust was important, and she expected the review would pinpoint improvements that would prevent the issue occurring again.
HNZ Southern hospital and specialist services interim leader Hamish Brown said Dunedin’s ED was "currently under great pressure."
Wait times for non-acute presentations had increased significantly last week, taking several hours longer.
People were triaged so the sickest were seen first, and as patients conditions could change over time, the wait time varied.
"Patients in the waiting room are monitored while waiting."
Although the situation could be stressful for patients, no-one seeking help was turned away, he said.
"Our dedicated emergency department staff are working extremely hard 24/7 to provide the best care they can for all patients."
Postponement of any planned care was "deeply regrettable" but was done with patient safety in mind.
The care of the most urgent patients was prioritised and this could cause required resources to be unavailable due to acute need elsewhere in the hospital.
The hospital was expecting an increase in demand for services heading into winter, but spikes in demand were not unusual throughout the year.
Presentations of illness were also a symptom of what was happening throughout the health system and in the community, he said.
