Hospital resources strained beyond usual winter demand, WRHA says

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This article was published 19/02/2019 (1892 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg health officials are hoping the worst is over after a surge of patients at emergency rooms caused four city hospitals to open up dozens of contingency beds in recent days.

The influx of patients began late last week and appeared to peak Tuesday, when some ambulances that normally would head to Health Sciences Centre were instructed — temporarily — to transport patients to other hospitals. By Wednesday morning the measure was lifted.

Réal Cloutier, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, told a press conference Wednesday that surges in patient numbers occur from time to time in winter.

An increase in patients with respiratory illnesses and unusually long hospital stays lately for admitted patients were the main reasons the system got backed up, he said.

“We want the public to be aware that we are facing very high demands,” Cloutier said. “Trying to staff contingency beds is a challenge…. Our staff get ill. It certainly puts a lot of pressure on people.”

The WRHA executive said contingency beds are always added during flu season, which occurred earlier than usual this year. Some of the over-capacity beds were opened several weeks ago, some more were added last week and some as recently as Tuesday. Altogether, 72 beds at four hospitals were added.

Cloutier said no patients were placed in hallways. He said space was found for the additional beds on wards and inside emergency departments.

He said hospital officials were still analyzing the situation, but it appears that ERs experienced an influx of patients at the same time as outflows from the hospitals stalled because beds were occupied by people being treated for more highly acute illnesses.

“We know this happens every year, and we try as best as we can to manage it,” he said of the spike in patients. “So we thank our staff for their hard work in managing.”

Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said she was pleased that Cloutier acknowledged the large workload being absorbed by staff.

“Nurses are working flat-out. They’re doing what needs to be done to ensure that we’re providing safe patient care,” she said.

Jackson said the over-capacity beds were being staffed largely through overtime, including mandatory OT, adding the situation is not sustainable.

Jackson said she was “very skeptical” that workload issues will disappear once the second phase of the Pallister government’s hospital reform plan is implemented by fall. Phase 2 includes the closure of ERs at Concordia and Seven Oaks hospitals, leaving Winnipeg with three ERs (at St. Boniface and Grace hospitals and HSC).

“I think that consolidation has caused strain in our system and has really reduced the ability of hospitals to handle unexpected increases in patient volume, as we’re experiencing now, and increases in high acuity patients,” she said.

Meanwhile, Cloutier said the WRHA will closely monitor the situation. He said he didn’t anticipate that the system will have to add any more contingency beds in the days ahead.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca