The Taranaki District Health Board said the long wait times at Taranaki Base Hospital are a concern.

A woman has told she could have to wait around 308 days to visit a physiotherapist, despite her case being classed as semi-urgent.

The Taranaki woman said the problems started when she was referred to Taranaki Base Hospital for a hip problem two weeks ago, where the doctor who saw her warned it would be much quicker to go private.

The woman can't be named because she works in the health sector herself and is currently undergoing a job review.

After she was assessed, she received a letter that explained her case was semi-urgent and she could expect to be seen within three months.

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But attached to the automated letter was another one, which said the hospital was experiencing longer than normal wait times.

"At the time of writing the average wait time for musculoskeletal referrals are 308 days," the second letter read.

"I knew they were busy, I knew the physio department was busy and there would be a bit of a wait. But I didn't expect 308 days," the woman said.

She said she would be able to go to get private treatment but felt for the people who couldn't.

"It's just burying the problem so it gets worse and worse and worse and when they do get treatment they're in really bad way," she said.

"The hospital will have more work and they'll have to work with them longer to achieve a decent outcome."

She said she also felt for the hospital staff who had to send out the letter.

"Can you imagine having to send out a letter like that," she asked.

"They must feel pretty stink."

Receiving the letter had left her with more questions than answers.

"Where are my taxpayer dollars going, how overworked are the staff at the hospital that they have to send a letter like that," she said.

"What's failing in the hospital system that people are being sent these letters."

She had tried to get in touch with the Taranaki District Health Board (TDHB) but didn't receive a reply to her email.

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TDHB chief operations officer Gill Campbell said the long wait times were a concern and a plan was in place to manage it.

"We acknowledge that long wait times can be frustrating for our patients," she said.

"The wait time has been reduced and is currently three to four months for non-urgent appointments."

A review was underway to find ways to better prioritise and deliver the services with the resources available.

We are currently reviewing how we prioritise appointments and how we deliver our services to ensure we can see as many patients within the resources we have available.

"Taranaki DHB delivers a substantial outpatient physiotherapy service but like many services the demand is at times greater than the resources available, therefore we are required to prioritise the patients we see to ensure those most in need are seen," she said.