Investigation: Winnipeg hospital death linked to bed shortage, patient surge

A review into the death of man who was waiting in a Winnipeg hospital hallway to receive care found there was a lack of available beds and a surge in patients in the emergency room at the time.

The man arrived by ambulance at the Health Sciences Centre early on the morning of Feb. 27, 2023.

The review says the patient had been assessed and triaged by hospital staff and was awaiting care in a hallway when his condition worsened about an hour later.

1:00 Winnipeg’s Health Science Centre points to lack of patient beds following critical incident report

Hospital staff tried to intervene, but the man was declared dead a short time later.

The investigation determined there were no issues with staffing levels at the time and the median wait time in the emergency department was more than two hours, which hospital officials say is typical.

The review by provincial health organization Shared Health recommends addressing concerns with patient flow to help ease emergency department backlog, reviewing processes for ordering tests and updating work expectations for staff.