A source at the hospital told The Star 470 patients were at ED on Sunday, July 13.
But Health New Zealand told The Star on Monday it could not confirm the number of patients or whether it was the most ever. To confirm patient numbers, the agency would need an Official Information Act request, which can take up to 20 days to process, a spokesperson said.
Health NZ Canterbury director of operations, Hamish Brown, said recent weeks have been busier than usual for this time of year.
“This month our team is seeing an average 414 patients a day, which is nearly an 8% increase from the same time last year,” he said.
Brown said the ED staff have been “fantastic” at handling the patient increase but due to high demand, those with non-emergency needs may face long waits.
“We would like to thank those who are waiting for their patience and understanding, as well as our teams across the hospital.”
Brown attributed the spike in patients to an increase in winter viral and respiratory illnesses, along with Sundays typically being one of the busiest days of the week.
Weekends often involve more high-risk activities, and many GPs and other health clinics are often closed on Sundays, pushing more patients toward ED.
To manage the high demand, Brown said the ED has introduced various initiatives, and are working on other options.
They include the opening of an ED observation area to reduce hospital admissions, fast-track admission pathways, and offering alternative options for care to patients with less urgent needs.
It comes as RNZ reported relatives of distressed patients at Christchurch Hospital have been asked to come in to help because of a shortage of healthcare assistants.
Information provided by a hospital staff member showed the hospital had so few healthcare assistants on June 22, managers were asked to see if patients' family members could come in to sit with and monitor them. This is usually done for patients with confusion, delirium, or dementia symptoms.
Health NZ’s Canterbury director of nursing Becky Hickmott said the issue was caused by a large volume of patients, coupled with a significant number of staff who rang in sick at short notice.
