Paediatric doctors are being reduced "to tears" and quitting at "the peak of their careers" over chronic under-resourcing at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital, South Australia's salaried doctors union has said.

Key points: More than 200 doctors have signed a letter calling for urgent help into staffing levels

More than 200 doctors have signed a letter calling for urgent help into staffing levels The Salaried Medical Officers Association said no significant action has been taken

The Salaried Medical Officers Association said no significant action has been taken But a Women's and Children's Hospital spokesperson said extra resources have been put in place

More than 200 doctors signed a letter to the chief executive of the Women's and Children's Hospital in October last year, calling for urgent help to improve staffing levels and resourcing at the site.

The SA Salaried Medical Officers Association's (SASMOA) senior industrial officer Bernadette Mulholland said the letter had been designed as a "warning of the adverse effects on the safety and quality of care" at the hospital.

"You're looking at about half of the workforce, if not more, who have signed off on the letter," Ms Mulholland said.

"These doctors are the kindest bunch of doctors I've met in my 10 years and they don't do this without a real push that they are really concerned about the services that they are providing to the women and children of this state.

"Many of the services have been run down to the point where they haven't got enough staffing to provide timely services and care."

However Ms Mulholland said four months after the letter was sent, no significant action had been taken, leaving staff more distressed than ever.

"Just last week we got a call from a group of doctors who said 'we can't do this any more — help us or we're resigning'," she said.

"We've raised [the concerns] with the board and the Minister, but unfortunately there's been no movement.

"We've had doctors in our office in tears and doctors resigning at the peak of their careers, but we're just not getting any traction.

"They are really starting to feel the trauma."

More than 200 doctors signed a letter calling for urgent help at the Women's and Children's Hospital. ( ABC Radio Adelaide: Malcolm Sutton )

Divisional director of paediatric medicine at the Women's and Children's Hospital, Dr Gavin Wheaton, said extra resources had been put in place since the letter was received.

"Those concerns have been taken extremely seriously and there has been a great deal of work done … in relation to those and other issues," he said.

"We have put an advanced trainee into that service and that has made a very significant difference.

"But we are continuing to work very hard with that service … and I don't propose that's the final answer.

"The process is continuing."

Situation not critical, director says

Dr Wheaton said he would not describe the situation as "critical" and said the description of the system being close to "collapse" was an exaggeration.

A second round of voluntary redundancies is underway at the hospital, but the Women's and Children's Health Network said none of those redundancies would affect frontline staff.

Health Minister Stephen Wade said it was up to the board of the hospital to decide how to best spend its allocated budget.

"Since these concerns were raised with me in October, I've spoken with board with management clinicians and the union," Mr Wade said.

"I'm confident that the board and management of Women's and Children's Hospital are diligently working with their clinicians to address the issues of concern that they have.

"But I'm convinced that the best way to respond to emerging demand emerging as new service opportunities is to make sure that we eliminate the waste that is in any hospital network so that we can we can deliver the best possible services at the at the most sustainable price."

SASMOA is expected to hold a meeting with its members tonight to discuss issues at the Women's and Children's Hospital.