The Canterbury District Health Board's been facing staff strikes for well over a third of the year so far

CDHB chief people officer, Michael Frampton, says since the New Year, they've received 26 strike notices, ranging from Medical Imaging Technicians to pharmacists and psychologists.

He says 21 of those strikes have gone ahead, impacting 135 days of hospital work.

Frampton says it's having enormous impacts on patient care and service delivery.

He says the CDHB's having to spend millions of dollars on extra operational costs.