Ottawa asks for funding for 42 new paramedics to address hospital offload delays
The city of Ottawa is asking the Ontario government to fund 42 new paramedics to help address offload delays in hospital emergency departments, warning the delays and "Level Zero" incidents of available paramedics are a "public safety risk."
The Ottawa Paramedic Service has experienced 1,125 "Level Zero" incidents to date so far this year, when there are no ambulances available to respond to emergency calls.
In a letter to Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Sylvia Jones, Mayor Jim Watson says hospital offload delays are a "significant contributor to incidences of 'Level Zero'", and are impacting the Ottawa Paramedic Service's ability to respond to calls and "jeopardized public safety."
"With your leadership, and by prioritizing efficient taxpayer spending, the province can resolve this long-standing issue once and for all by recognizing offload delays as a public safety risk," Watson said.
"The province and municipalities pay for paramedics to be assisting residents needing urgent medical attention. They do not pay, nor do they want, paramedics to perform hallway medicine in hospital emergency rooms."
Watson says the Ontario government needs to "send a strong message to hospitals" that offload delays in emergency departments are "not acceptable and encourage them to be open to innovative solutions" by working with all healthcare partners.
"With your direction, incentives can be implemented for hospitals to meet the 30-minute offload target and create standardized measurement and reporting between hospitals and paramedics, so we have more consistent and accurate data collection to inform decisions," Watson said.
The mayor says he met last week with staff and the leadership of the Ottawa Hospital, CHEO, Queensway Carleton Hospital and Montfort Hospital to discuss "urgent action needed" to address offload delays and the "Level Zero" incidents so far this year.
"Our local hospitals recognize that they must develop a culture that prioritizes getting paramedics back on the road as quickly as possible," Watson writes. "They are working to triage patients brought in by paramedics and to take a whole-hospital approach, including escalation plans that mobilize all levels of the hospital when there are emergency department surges and risks of offload delays."
The Ottawa Paramedic Service has been staffing a paramedic in the emergency department at the Queensway Carleton Hospital to care for patients, allowing an ambulance to return to service.
Watson says the city of Ottawa and hospitals are requesting funding for 42 additional paramedics to, "address current shortages and ensure public safety moving forward."
"If funded, we have agreed with local hospitals that these new paramedics could be strategically allocated to the four area hospitals and care for lower acuity patients waiting in the emergency department," Watson said. "This would allow for more paramedics to return an ambulance back into service faster."
The request for new paramedics to address offload delays and an increase in calls comes as Ottawa hospitals have warned of longer-than-normal waits to see doctors in the emergency department this summer. The Montfort Hospital closed its emergency department for 12 hours on Aug. 6 and Aug. 7 due to a staffing shortage.
In July, the Ottawa Paramedic Service said the offload delay for paramedics to transfer a patient into the care of Ottawa hospital emergency room staff was more than 30 hours for approximately 30 patients.
The Ottawa Paramedic Service has hired 28 new staff members this year to increase capacity to meet the demand for service.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.