Ottawa Hospital using 'temporary unconventional spaces' to care for patients

The Ottawa Hospital will use "temporary unconventional spaces" to care for patients this fall and winter, as it faces increased patient volumes, ongoing COVID-19 cases and staffing pressures.

Ottawa's largest hospital says the high patient volume is challenging the capacity limits across the Civic Campus, the General Campus, and Riverside Campus.

"While this is typical for this time of year, ongoing COVID cases and staffing pressures have made it more difficult to manage than in the past," TOH said in a statement on Twitter.

"TOH has prepared several temporary unconventional spaces to continue providing high-quality patient care to our community."

The Ottawa Hospital did not say what the "unconventional spaces" would be for patients.  In January, the hospital moved some patients to the gymnasium at the Rehabilitation Centre as part of the surge plan during the Omicron wave.

"Our teams have worked extremely hard to identify these temporary spaces that could become care areas if needed," TOH said.

"They have also been adjusted to maintain patient safety, comfort and experience. This means that we will increase bed capacity and adjust our staffing models as the situation continues to evolve but rest assured, that we are prepared to respond to the increasing needs of our patients."

While this is typical for this time of year, ongoing COVID cases and staffing pressures have made it more difficult to manage than in the past. (2/6)

— The Ottawa Hospital (@OttawaHospital) October 18, 2022

Several Ottawa hospitals have warned that patients visiting the emergency department would face longer-than-normal wait times as hospitals deal with higher patient volumes and staffing challenges.

CHEO says it is will add more than a dozen positions in the emergency department, including pre-triage rapid assessments and physician assistants. The children's hospital is also moving some medical professionals with critical care training to patient-facing needs.

Our teams have worked extremely hard to identify these temporary spaces that could become care areas if needed. They have also been adjusted to maintain patient safety, comfort and experience. (4/6)

— The Ottawa Hospital (@OttawaHospital) October 18, 2022