Hospital ER clogged by inpatients
Hospital ER clogged by inpatients
Need for more long-term care beds results in crowding and delays
In recent weeks the emergency department at Campbellford Memorial Hospital has frequently sent out alerts warning potential patients that it was extremely busy and they should only attend if their situation was life threatening.
Unfortunately, the situation is unlikely to get much better soon because the hospital says the fundamental problem is a lack of long-term care beds in the area.
On Jan. 4 it posted on Facebook: “We are experiencing significant capacity pressures this week leading to extended wait times in our Emergency Department. Please note that wait times for all conditions, other than life and limb emergencies, will be significantly longer than normal.”
It had posted similar warnings several times in December.
“For non-urgent issues, please consider seeking alternative healthcare options such as your primary healthcare practitioner or by reaching out to Health Connect Ontario (formerly Telehealth Ontario), by dialing 811 from your phone.”
New cases of COVID-19, the flu, and other seasonal respiratory conditions have increased the number of ER visits, but aren’t the main problem, says Peter Mitchell, the hospital’s communications and community relations manager.
“Our main issue at the present moment is capacity on our inpatient unit. We are currently over our 34 bed capacity,” he said. Many of those patients should be in long-term care facilities, but there is no space available for them to move into.
This week the hospital has “a high number of patients in our (emergency department) who need to be admitted.”
Since there are no inpatient beds available, patients are being cared for in the emergency department longer than normal.
“Those patients still receive a high level of care while in the (emergency department), but it does mean that we now have less space to see new patients who come through the door,” Mitchell said. “This is largely what has been leading to longer wait times of late.”
The hospital has been pushing the provincial health ministry to approve plans for a new larger hospital that would include nearby long-term care, but so far it has been put on hold and has not received even approval for preliminary work. To pressure the government and show that the community wants a new facility and will support the fundraising necessary for it, the hospital has obtained a parcel of land on the western edge of town and done some groundwork.
“As you know, this is one of the major reasons behind our push for a new Campus of Care with both a larger hospital and a (long-term care) LTC home,” Mitchell says. “That way we will have more beds for acutely ill patients and more beds for those who are in hospital but could be in a long term care home, if we had the extra LTC beds available.”
