FRANKSTON councillors have unanimously voted to tell Peninsula Health's chief executive that an "ongoing stream of negative incidents" relating to Frankston Hospital are hurting the city's image.

At its meeting last Monday week, the council resolved to send a letter "expressing concern as to the ongoing stream of negative incidents emitting from this hospital as they do little to rejuvenate the image of Frankston, not just from a reputational perspective but also in terms of liveability and access to quality services".

The issue was raised by Cr Kris Bolam, partly in response to well-publicised comments by the Australian Medical Association's Victorian branch president Harry Hemley who urged people to avoid the hospital - which he termed "a basket case" - during the busy holiday season.

Peninsula Health spokesman John Jukes told the Weekly on Friday that hospital staff had since received an apology from the AMA and he understood the association was in the process of writing to media outlets to retract Mr Hemley's statement.

But it was not the only time the hospital has hit the headlines - it has repeatedly been criticised for waiting times and leaving patients on trolleys in the emergency department.

A state government report released last month showed that in the September 2011 quarter the hospital had the third busiest emergency ward in Victoria and some of the longest waiting times.

"We cannot do anything about people who are ill or ill at ease presenting at the hospital; that is why we're here," Mr Jukes said.

The hospital had recently received funding for two expansions but was struggling to accommodate demand for treatment in the emergency department.

"Everybody recognises we are no longer big enough for the traffic coming through," Mr Jukes said. "We need a new emergency department but emergency departments are expensive to build and even governments have budgets. Our turn will come."

Frankston Council will also call on Premier Ted Baillieu, Health Minister David Davis and local MPs to provide appropriate funding and resources for the hospital.

"Frankston Hospital has a broad catchment throughout the entire south-east region, including Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula.'' Cr Bolam said.

''I expect the state government to ensure funding and resource provisions are adequate for such a major regional facility. The present situation is appalling and requires rectification.''