Ontario paramedics say offload delays getting worse amid staff shortages, ER closures
Ontario paramedics say offload delays getting worse amid staff shortages, ER closures
Ontario paramedics' groups say health-care staffing shortages and recent temporary emergency room closures are exacerbating delays in getting patients into hospitals -- and ambulances back in the community.
Darryl Wilton, president of the Ontario Paramedic Association, said in a recent interview ambulance offload delays -- when paramedics wait in an emergency department for a patient to be transferred to the care of a hospital -- have gotten 12 times longer in the last year alone.
Offload delays of one to two hours were previously considered extreme, but now some patients and paramedics are waiting 10 to 15 hours, he said in a recent interview.
"A patient could be picked up this afternoon and not be offloaded until sometime tomorrow morning, and that's not unusual anymore," he said. That means multiple paramedic crews may be caring for the same patient over several shifts, he added.
The worsening delays are "having a massive impact on paramedic availability," and the effects ripple out through neighbouring communities, Wilton said.
"This is something that, plain and simple, requires beds and staff to fix the problem," he said.
Neal Roberts, member and past president of the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs, said staffing shortages across the health-care sector, combined with the recent temporaryhospital closures and a slight uptick in calls for paramedic care have created "almost like a perfect storm and a bit of a domino (effect)."
Roberts, chief of the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service, said the closures also force paramedics to take patients to hospitals further away, which takes more time and reduces service in their community.
Just as hospitals are seeing shortages in nurses and doctors, paramedic services have also been stretched thin due to increased demand and the expansion of their duties during the pandemic, he said.
"We've hired upwards of, I think, 50-odd staff this year and we still could hire more," he said. "It's just the more we hire, the more we need -- and we're just seeing this across all health care."
Some hospitals -- including Lakeridge Health's Bowmanville hospital and the Seaforth Community Hospital in Huron County -- have announced closures or reduced hours ahead of the long weekend.
Several Ontario hospitals have previously warned that emergency department closures could be a recurring issue this summer as a result of staffing shortages. Rural areas have been particularly affected, with communities such as Perth, Clinton and Wingham seeing their ERs close for stretches as long as several days.
Offloading delays predate the COVID-19 pandemic but paramedics' groups say the issue has gotten worse during the health crisis.
A spokesperson for the Minister of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this year, the Ontario government issued a memo to emergency services, telling them to consider having paramedic crews tend to more than one patient at a time in ERs -- something known as "batching" patients -- so that paramedics could return to service more quickly.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2022.
The Royal Bank of Canada is facing issues with online and mobile banking. According to a brief message posted on Twitter, there is an issue with the digital display of transactions.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
The federal government is proclaiming a National Day Against Gun Violence, to be held annually on the first Friday of June. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and representatives of the Toronto Raptors basketball team are set to discuss the plans today at an event in Toronto.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.
Forget your hook, line and sinker. An Israeli foodtech company says it has 3D printed the first ever ready-to-cook fish filet using animal cells cultivated and grown in a laboratory.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
It's time for residents along the southeastern U.S. coastlines to make sure their storm plans are in place as the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway on Thursday.
A forest fire is out of control in Chapais, in the Nord-du-Québec region, with evacuations underway. Meanwhile, the situation is improving in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, where two forest fires are now under control and a third is contained.
Quebec Education Minister Bernard Drainville is likely to have a bad day on Thursday as several groups are ready to criticize his Bill 23, predicts Quebec Solidaire (QS) MNA Ruba Ghazal.
On May 26, OPP used a search warrant to enter a home on Huron Street west for an investigation where police seized fentanyl, methamphetamine, crack cocaine and Adderall.
Seven fire trucks, including an aerial truck, were on scene at a fire on Green Valley Drive in Kitchener on Wednesday afternoon after a fire impacted multiple townhomes.
An agency aimed at providing service dogs to those with disabilities and mental disorders is making a plea to the public to help foster 12 puppies for up to a year.
Doctor shortage is getting the blame for a hospital closure in Blind River on Friday. It's the fifth closure for the North Shore Health Network in roughly two weeks.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
'That '70s Show' star Danny Masterson was led out in handcuffs from a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday and could get 30 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty on two of three counts of rape at his second trial, in which the Church of Scientology played a central role.
The city of Ottawa fired two employees with "medical related duties" for submitting falsified vaccination status documents last year following a tip to the city's fraud and waste hotline, according to a new report from the city's auditor general.
The Royal Bank of Canada is facing issues with online and mobile banking. According to a brief message posted on Twitter, there is an issue with the digital display of transactions.
OPP in Leamington are hoping the public may have seen a man reported as missing. Guillermo, 42, was last seen around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the area of Talbot Street west and Fader Avenue.
A wildfire that began burning in the Upper Tantallon, N.S., area Sunday and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents is now 50 per cent contained.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
A Medicine Hat, Alta., doctor has been reprimanded by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta for improperly handling a prescription for opioids for one of his patients.
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
In response to a barrage of questions about Surrey’s beleaguered hospital, B.C.’s minister of health told reporters that an Emergency Operations Centre was activated at the site on Wednesday afternoon.
More than 300 firefighters from the United States and South Africa are heading to Canada in the coming days as the country battles an unprecedented wildfire season that has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes so far this year.
Alberta's re-elected premier says she plans to form a "council" of UCP candidates who lost in Monday's election to advise her on Edmonton issues, something her opponent made fun of Wednesday.
A team led by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found physiological evidence of brain inflammation in people with cognitive and depressive symptoms months after their COVID-19 infections.
