Paramedics waiting at least three hours to transfer some patients at Ottawa hospitals, officials say
Ontario paramedics say they are dealing with a health care crisis because of emergency room closures and health care staff shortages, creating a perfect storm for ambulance delays and roadblocks for timely access to care.
It means the public may have to wait longer for an ambulance in Ottawa.
"We now know that nine times out of ten, when paramedics take you to a hospital in Ottawa, it takes at least three hours to transfer care from paramedics to the hospital," said Michael Nolan, County of Renfrew Paramedic Service Chief.
Offload delays are up significantly and Chief Nolan says it means paramedics respond to fewer calls.
"When you go to a shift that’s say 12 hours and you can only help three or four patients during that shift, because it takes three or four hours for each call," said Nolan.
He says the off-load delays are leading to major delays on the job, including more "Level Zero" incidents. That is where there are no available ambulances to respond to calls.
"It truly is a health care crisis," said Nolan.
The Ontario Paramedic Association says the situation has been daunting for paramedics.
“We have seen an increase in level zeros in the last year, with a 200 per cent increase,” said Darryl Wilton of the Ontario Paramedic Association.
The Ontario Paramedic Association says there’s a number of factors behind the crisis, including the fact that more people are calling 911, more are accessing hospital emergency rooms, and there’s been hospital department closures as well as fewer health care staff on the job.
On July 21, the off-load delay for paramedics to transfer a patient into the care of staff at an Ottawa hospital emergency room was more than three hours for approximately 30 patients, according to the Ottawa Paramedic Service.
"Overall, yes the situation is getting worse,” said Pierre Poirier, Ottawa Paramedic Service Chief.
Ottawa paramedics have hired 28 paramedics this year. Poirier says 16 of those have gone through training and will be on the road over the next couple of weeks.
"We are not happy," said Wilton. “People are taking it out on paramedics and they’re expressing their frustrations with the delays."
In a statement to the Canadian Press, the Ontario Health Minister, Sylvia Jones, said that the province has added more than 10,500 health care workers to the system since the start of the pandemic. The Ministry of Health said the government’s most recent budget included $7 million in additional funding for a program that brings health care workers to help transfer ambulance patients to hospital care. The budget was presented in April but did not pass before the election.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
New charges for Ont. woman who previously admitted to defrauding doulas
The Brantford, Ont. woman who was previously sentenced to house arrest after admitting to deceiving doulas has been charged again in connection to a new victim.