Wellington's after-hours clinic doesn't have staff to extend hours

Wellington's after-hours medical service (WAMC) says it doesn't have the staff to extend opening hours, to cope with a winter surge of patients.

Wellington Hopsital's emergency department had one of its busiest days for almost a year on Monday, seeing 258 patients,

Health NZ told RNZ that in an effort to cope with the influx the GP-run urgent care clinic would be extending its hours.

But the clinic said it was still in negotiations with the agency and hadn't yet reached an agreement.

It said a new workforce model would have to be agreed before the hours could be extended and the change could take up to 15 months.

It said it was in contract discussions about funding and staffing.