Here's how long patients wait to see a doctor in Ottawa hospital emergency departments

Three Ottawa hospitals had some of the longest wait times to see a doctor for a first assessment by a doctor in December, and the wait times at all hospitals in the capital exceeded the provincial average during the final month of 2023.

Health Quality Ontario reports the average wait time to see a doctor for a first assessment in an Ontario hospital emergency room was 2.1 hours in December.

The Ottawa Hospital General Campus and CHEO tied for the longest wait time for a first assessment in the ER in Ottawa, and the fifth longest wait in Ontario. The average wait was 3.4 hours in December.

In the days after Christmas, CHEO reported the longest wait time for a full assessment by a doctor in the ER was 17 hours, as the children's hospital saw a spike in patients with holiday ailments, including RSV, flu and COVID-19.

The average wait time for a first assessment at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital emergency department was 3.2 hours in December.

Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre had the longest wait time in Ontario for a first assessment at 4.7 hours, followed by Quinte Healthcare Corporation – Belleville at 4.2 hours and the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital at 3.9 hours.

The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus reported a 2.8 hour wait for a first assessment by a doctor in the ER in December, while the wait time at the Montfort Hospital was 2.6 hours.

Wait to be admitted

The average wait time in Ontario to be admitted to the hospital from the emergency department was 21.9 hours in December.

Here are the reported wait times to be admitted to the hospital from Ottawa hospital ERs in December:

• CHEO 13.3 hours
• Montfort Hospital 13.7 hours
• Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus 16.7 hours
• Ottawa Hospital General Campus 20.9 hours
• Queensway-Carleton Hospital 21.1 hours