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.
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.
'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.
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.
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.
'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.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.