The healthcare system is working through the weekend on the backlog caused by lockdown delays

District Health Board figures show thousands have been waiting longer than the prescribed four months for specialist appointments and treatment.

Nurses organisation Associate professional services manager Kate Weston says the industry can only take so much the pressure.

She says weekends were once only used for acute services - but now they are being used to catch up on elective procedures, which is putting more pressure on other services.





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