Especially long wait times at hospitals in Sudbury, Sault

With flu and other infectious diseases biting hard this winter, hospital officials in the north are reminding the public to expect long waits at the ER.

Health Sciences North in Sudbury and Sault Area Hospital said in social media posts this week that flu and respiratory disease season has both facilities much busier than usual.

“For lower acuity type of illness, you can expect longer wait times because of the demands for care,” said HSN president David McNeil.

“We’re seeing sicker people, so we’re seeing higher admission rates. Typically, we would see maybe 18 per cent people that present to the emergency department being admitted. And today and over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been seeing that as high as 25 per cent.”

Wait times in the ER were up to seven hours on Monday afternoon. McNeil said that’s largely because patients that are admitted have to wait for a bed.

“In a typical day, we’re seeing 20 patients waiting for a … bed,” he said.

“We’ve seen that number double in recent weeks.”

In the Sault, the hospital said it is dealing with “extremely high patient volumes.”

“Due to this high occupancy, some patients are being cared for in unconventional spaces, such as alcoves, hallways and dining rooms,” the hospital said.

“As of Jan. 6 … we are at 119 per cent occupancy, with 18 patients admitted in the emergency department waiting for an in-patient bed and another 31 individuals waiting to be seen.”

Virtual waiting room

“This level of demand can, unfortunately, result in longer wait times, which is challenging and tiring for everyone,” the Sault hospital added.

“Our team prioritizes care for the sickest patients first to ensure those in urgent need receive timely treatment.”

Hospitals in North Bay and Timmins are seeing wait times closer to three or four hours.

HSN is a regional hospital, which McNeil said adds to patient numbers.

“We have to manage all of our resources, not only emergency department resources, but access to diagnostics, etc.,” he said.

“That does create a challenge -- and we’re just seeing high volumes compared to many … rural and smaller hospitals, around the northeast.”

The issue is expected to last at least until the end January, McNeil said, if not into February. Members of the public can help by getting their immunization shots for seasonal illnesses.

“We’re just asking the public to be patient with our staff,” he said.

“They’re working very hard and they’re providing great care. And we’re so appreciative of the fantastic work that they do each and every day.”

Built too small

Sudbury MPP Jamie West said the overcrowding issue is not new and can be traced back to “a lack of funding (by) the Liberals is continuing (with Premier) Doug Ford.”

“Ford sort of doubled down into privatization, so a lot of our funding is going to private,” West said.

“We really need to start funding our hospitals adequately, the way we expect them to be funded.”

The fact that HSN was built too small is something that will change, but expansion will take time.

“Probably three to five years of planning work before we actually move into construction,” McNeil said.

“And then we’re talking about a significant period of time for construction. And so we probably won’t see things completed before 10 years.”

In the meantime, they are working with the province on finding “alternative solutions, home and community care, alternative health facilities in which we can actually care for patients,” he said.

“We’re working with government on ensuring we have those capacity solutions available to serve, not only people in Sudbury, but people across northeastern Ontario.”

In the Sault, people who need to go to the emergency department can use SAH’s Virtual Home Waiting Room to check estimated wait times and wait from home until closer to their expected turn.

“Patients with non-urgent needs may consider alternatives such as contacting their family doctor, nurse practitioner, or visiting a community walk-in clinic,” the hospital said.

“If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911 or proceed directly to the emergency department. Do not delay care.”

If you are unsure whether your symptoms are an emergency, you can speak with a Registered Nurse for health-related advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling Health811.