Kingston Health Sciences Centre capping patients at Urgent Care Centre due to staffing shortage
The Kingston Health Sciences Centre is limiting the daily number of patients that will be seen at the Urgent Care Centre at the Hotel Dieu Hospital campus, as it deals with a staffing shortage.
Starting Wednesday, the Urgent Care Centre will provide care for up to 120 patients each day, and the clinic may close earlier than 8 p.m. several days per week.
"With ongoing physician and staff shortages and growing patient volumes through the pandemic, hospitals across the country including KHSC, have been forced to make difficult decisions," Chief of Staff, Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick said.
“We have exhausted all other options and recognize the inconvenience this will cause for some people in our community. We ask everyone to help us preserve care for those who need it most and only come to the UCC if your health concern is indeed urgent.”
The Kingston Health Sciences Centre operates an Urgent Care Centre at Hotel Dieu Hospital, and an emergency department at the Kingston General Hospital.
"We're trying to balance the load between the two sites. Obviously, our ER at KGH cannot close, that's our regional trauma centre and we get a lot of critical care referrals there," Kingston Health Sciences Centre president and CEO Dr. David Pichora told CTV News Channel.
"But what we've been seeing in urgent care recently, again, reflects what you're seeing in the system with rising volumes. Sometimes it's related to sheer volume patients, but other times its complexity. We're seeing more and more patients come there who really should be at the ER because of the complexity in the extent of the illness."
The Urgent Care Centre provides care for cuts needing stitches, sprains, strains, deep bruises, mild to moderate asthma attacks, minor broken bones, insect bites and rashes. It's open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Kingston Health Sciences Centre says the decision to limit the daily number of patients in the Urgent Care Clinic was made, "to ensure the urgent care team can continue to provide the highest-quality of care to each person who walks through the door."
Each day, staff will determine daily how many patients it can safely care for depending on the complexity of conditions needing to be addressed, the number of doctors and nurses available and the status of the Emergency Department at the Kingston General Hospital.
The Kingston Health Sciences Centre says recruiting is ongoing to fill "a number" of physician and nursing vacancies.
"It’s difficult to simply hire because there aren’t enough people to fill all the hospital vacancies in Ontario and it takes time to recruit and train specialists such as emergency and urgent care doctors and nurses," said Dr. Tim Chaplin, medical director of the Emergency Medicine Program.
The Kingston Health Sciences Centre is the latest hospital in eastern Ontario to reduce capacity in its emergency department or Urgent Care Centre.
The Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria, Ont. is closing its emergency departments overnights until Aug. 3. The emergency department at the Perth Hospital has been closed since July 2 due to a COVID-19 outbreak and staffing shortage. That emergency department is scheduled to reopen on July 24.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.