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This Ottawa hospital has the longest ER wait time to see a doctor in Ontario

A sign directing visitors to the emergency department is shown at CHEO, Friday, May 15, 2015 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld A sign directing visitors to the emergency department is shown at CHEO, Friday, May 15, 2015 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Ottawa's children's hospital had the longest wait time in Ontario to see a doctor in the emergency room this fall, as all Ottawa hospitals exceed the provincial average for wait times.

New statistics from Health Quality Ontario show the average wait time for a first assessment by a doctor in the ER was 4.3 hours at CHEO in October, up from 4.1 hours in September and 2.7 hours in August.

In a note on its website, CHEO urges parents to bring their children to the ER if they need "urgent medical attention."

"The sickest patients are always treated first and you may not be seen in the order of arrival."

Across Ontario, the average wait time for a first assessment by a doctor was 2.1 hours in October.

The average wait time for a first assessment in the ER in October was 3.9 hours at the Queensway-Carleton Hospital (4 hours in September), 3.5 hours at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus (3.2 hours in September), 3.5 hours at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus (3 hours in September) and 2.5 hours at the Montfort Hospital (2.7 hours in September).

The Winchester District Memorial Hospital had the second longest wait to see a doctor in the ER in Ontario, at 4.1 hours.

Low-urgent patients not admitted

All Ottawa hospitals exceed the provincial average for low-urgency patients staying in the emergency department without being admitted.

The provincial average was 3.3 hours in September.

In Ottawa, the average length of stay for low-urgent patients in the ER without being admitted ranged from 6.3 hours at the General Campus of the Ottawa Hospital, 6.1 hours at CHEO, 5.4 hours at the Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital, 5.4 hours at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, and 4.6 hours at Montfort Hospital.

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