The interim president and CEO of New Brunswick’s Horizon Health Network says they are working on improvements as emergency department wait times and hospital capacity remain at critical levels.
Margaret Melanson told reporters Friday that staff at Horizon’s four regional hospitals are “extremely busy.” The average occupancy rate for their hospitals is 106 per cent, above the national benchmark of 85 per cent.
“When our hospital occupancy levels are above 100 per cent, there is a direct impact on the wait times within our emergency departments,” Melanson said, explaining that patients who need acute care services need to wait in the emergency department until an inpatient bed is available.
“This means longer wait times for people experiencing non-urgent medical issues.”
Melanson said “seasonal pressures” like the recent holidays and respiratory disease season are further clogging emergency rooms.
She said a “major surge” of patients are presenting to emergency departments, a “significant number” of whom are very ill. As well, there are ongoing staffing shortages due to ongoing vacancies and illness.
“This is always a busy time of year for our emergency departments, but this year was especially trying,” she said. “This situation is representative of ongoing challenges facing our health-care system right now.”
The emergency room situation in New Brunswick has been in the spotlight in recent weeks. Over the holidays, Vitalité Health Network, the province’s francophone health authority, asked that people avoid two of its emergency rooms unless they required critical care.
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Members of the public, as well as the New Brunswick Nursing Union, the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick and the New Brunswick Medical Society, have spoken out about overcrowding and high wait times.
“We understand the emergency department is sometimes the only place for patients can go,” Melanson said.
“Our health-care teams and leadership have done a tremendous job at managing these situations under extremely trying circumstances.”
Melanson said around one in three Horizon hospital beds are being taken up by people waiting for a place in a nursing or special care home, and said clearing that backlog is key to reducing wait times.
“We’ve certainly known for some time of the growing numbers of patients that require long-term care…. Despite efforts and continued dialogue about that, we have now reached what is truly a critical level,” she said.
“Up until the last several months, we have been coping as a system. And I would say now our ability to continue to do that is reducing because of the greater needs of the acute care system.”
She said Horizon is taking steps to reduce hospital wait times, including:
- Creating 12 additional beds at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital by moving some ambulatory care clinics to Oromocto Public Hospital, as well as moving maternity outpatient clinics to another location.
- Opening 24 new beds at The Moncton Hospital and redirecting some patients with flu symptoms to receive care at the clinic outside the emergency department.
- Accelerating the discharging of patients at the Saint John Regional Hospital, or avoiding admissions by identifying and providing other services.
- Opening new nursing home beds in the Miramichi area to help discharge patients at the Miramichi Regional Hospital.
- Having social workers intervene with emergency department patients to reduce “social admissions.” Social workers were able to see 179 patients in December, resulting in 76 not being admitted to hospital.
- Having rehabilitation staff help patients with the discharge process, saving 668 inpatient days across Horizon in the last quarter.
“I would like to reassure the public that our emergency departments always care for critical care and trauma patients,” Melanson said.
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