The Ontario government is expanding 911 models of care in Peterborough and Peterborough County to reduce the stress on the emergency department at the area’s hospital, the region’s MPP announced Friday.
Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith announced the expansion of the model will give area paramedics more flexibility to provide “better, more appropriate treatment” for patients away from Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s emergency departments.
The initial phase of the model of care focused on “alternate destination” and “treat and refer” models for mental health and addictions and for palliative care patients. A pilot project for central Ontario was launched in 2021.
The latest expansion will focus on “treat and release,” Smith said, noting the models are part of the province’s “Plan to Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recovery” program launched in March 2022.
The “treat and release” will allow patients to be treated on-scene by paramedics and released with recommendations for appropriate follow-up care in their home or a community health setting. The model will also include patients with injuries such as minor falls or illnesses that are not-life threatening, or patients with managed chronic conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy.
He said the province says patients diverted from emergency departments through these models received the care they needed up to 17 times faster with 94 per cent of patients avoiding the emergency department in the days following treatment.
“This model works. It means people can be treated at home or onsite, without having to go to the emergency room for service,” said Smith.
“This reduces the pressure on our emergency room at Peterborough Regional Health Centre so that those who need services can receive better, faster care.
“This is an innovative way for us to address hospital wait times and hallway health care.”
Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones says the county supports expansion of the 911 models of care. Peterborough County-City Paramedics Chief Randy Mellow says paramedics implemented palliative care protocols in Peterborough under phase 1 and look forward to expanding the models under phase 2.
“That will allow the clinical expertise of our paramedics to provide treatment on scene with appropriate patients in a safe and patient-centered way that will assist in avoiding unnecessary burden on the health care system,” he said. “This work is on top of the efforts the government has done to date with the March 2022 Plan to Stay Open.”
The province says there are currently 52 municipal ambulance providers offering pre-hospital care services across Ontario.
More to come…