Patients leaving overcrowded Nova Scotia ER without being seen: managers
Patients leaving overcrowded Nova Scotia ER without being seen: managers
An emailed letter to staff of a Halifax-area hospital says that the pressure on the emergency room has risen to the point where there's no space to assess patients and one in 10 people aren't seen before they give up and leave.
Two managers at the Dartmouth General Hospital say in the statement obtained by The Canadian Press that influenza and respiratory syncytial virus are combining with other factors to block the flow of patients through the ER.
The email was sent Thursday to a long list of managers in advance of a virtual town hall meeting of hospital staff to be "hosted by site co-leads" on Monday.
It says "there is nowhere to assess patients" entering the hospital's emergency system, and adds -- underlined and in bold -- that "patients are dying in the waiting rooms" at Dartmouth General Hospital as well as other sites.
Nova Scotia Health spokesman Brendan Elliott said in an interview the agency wished to clarify nobody has died in the waiting room, but rather the managers meant patients' health was "growing significantly worse" as they waited for long periods to be seen.
"We cannot provide additional information for privacy reasons. The statement 'as well as other sites,' refers to media reports of incidents in other parts of Canada," added Elliott.
While it is well known that emergency rooms have been crowded and struggling to cope -- as reported by Nova Scotia Health's own online monitoring system -- it is rare for managers to make such blunt statements of the problems in the province's hospitals.
The letter thanks staff for their efforts coping with the exhausting pace of recent weeks and notes 10 per cent of emergency department patients are "leaving without being seen, including patients with chest pain and sepsis (the body's response to a strong infection)."
It also says the ambulance system is backed up, as paramedics must remain with patients in hallways, creating "several-hour wait times" to respond to 911 calls.
The email says that several steps are being taken to reduce the waiting times at the emergency room, including the cancellation of surgeries over the past week "outside of cases that are considered the highest need."
According to the note, the hospital has also opened up an additional space in a new wing of the hospital to handle overflow from the emergency room.
However, the email says despite these and other measures, the emergency department is struggling to ensure timely access to care.
It says, "last weekend we were in a situation where the emergency department had no capacity to respond to resuscitation if needed," and there are shortages of staff to cope with overflow areas.
"Given this, we feel that as a potential next step we may need to consider placing patients in hallways 24 hours a day," the note says.
"We know this is not ideal, but nothing is ideal in these circumstances, especially for our patients and the community when there are no emergency services ... to respond."
The note was signed by the hospital's health services director, Lori Sanderson, and its director of medicine, Dr. Natalie Cheng.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2022.
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
When selling a home, Canadians may be exempted from paying capital gains tax on a residential property -- if it's their principal residence. On CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew explains what's determined as a principal residence, and what properties are eligible for the exemption.
Health Canada says it will continue to recommend COVID-19 prevention drug, Evulsheld, despite U.S. FDA pulling back its emergency use authorization due to concerns around its efficacy against Omicron subvariant 'Kraken.'
Memphis authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother and pleaded, ''I'm just trying to go home.'
Aryna Sabalenka, a 24-year-old from Belarus, who won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at Melbourne Park on Saturday night, using 17 aces among her 51 total winners to overcome seven double-faults.
With a deal under negotiation between Ottawa and provinces, and premiers invited to a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in early February, the issue remains one where the Tory leader's position appears somewhat murky, including to some inside his own party.
A Palestinian gunman opened fire outside an east Jerusalem synagogue Friday night, killing seven people, including a 70-year-old woman, and wounding three others before he was shot and killed by police, officials said.
Using phones and tablets to communicate in encrypted chatrooms, a rapidly growing group of U.S. and allied troops and contractors are providing real-time maintenance advice -- usually speaking through interpreters -- to Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.
The transformation of a house in downtown Toronto – from a multi-unit with below market rent to a luxury single-family home – is not an anomaly. But rather, housing and legal experts say it is emblematic of why a housing crisis continues to grip the city.
While the deadline to file your taxes is months away, there are some personal tax credits Ontarians may qualify for that require some time pilfering through receipts to get them.
Tyler Toffoli and the Calgary Flames rebounded from one of their ugliest losses of the season and picked up an important two points in the Pacific Division before starting the All-Star break.
A Laval, Que. man considered one of Canada's most wanted criminals has been arrested in Mexico on allegations of pimping and serious sexual offences. A Canada-wide warrant was for Blake Charbonneau's arrest last year, with a reward of up to $50,000 offered last year for information that could lead to his capture.
On Jan. 29, 2017, six men were killed and five others injured shortly after evening prayer at the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre. Montrealers gathered Friday to commemorate the victims and call for action amid a rise in hate crimes.
The Francois Legault government announced the formation of an interdepartmental 'action group' on the French language to find ways to halt the 'decline' of the language in Quebec.
The self-proclaimed spiritual leader accused of sexually assaulting four of his female followers between 2017 and 2020 made his first court appearance in Edmonton.
New details have emerged in an ongoing civil lawsuit against the City of Leduc as court documents detail allegations that women working as firefighters experienced systemic discrimination and sexual assault.
An Alberta government email review of whether Premier Danielle Smith’s office interfered with Crown prosecutors has taken a confusing turn, with duelling statements from two spokespeople on what was investigated.
The manager of a Tim Hortons in North Bay was wrong to fire a long-term employee because of her physical limitations, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has ruled.
W5 goes deep into the narco heartland to interview a commander with one of Mexico's most brutal cartels. W5's documentary 'Narco Avocados' airs Saturday at 7 pm on CTV.
The body of a 29-year-old Sudbury nurse was recovered Wednesday night from a lake near Parry Sound after her snowmobile went through the ice, police say.
Only a few days after a large winter weather system rolled through southern Ontario, Environment Canada has once again issued a special weather statement for the London region, warning of a snow-rain mix expected to begin Saturday night.
A group of friends from west London, Ont. are giving back to the community one coat, one coffee and one hug at a time. They hit the streets Friday night as part of a yearly initiative to help those living in rough conditions.
The Parliamentary Protective Service says it expects as many as 500 people to gather on Parliament Hill for an event this weekend to mark the one-year anniversary since the start of the 'Freedom Convoy' protest.
Sixteen Scottish curlers and 16 Canadians squared off against each other Friday morning as part of the 2023 Strathcona Cup, a tournament taking place across Canada.
The chief of the Williams Lake First Nation says he would support excavating possible unmarked graves at the site of the former St. Joseph's Mission residential school if that's what elders and the community decide is best.
A review has been launched after police officers were recorded restraining a handcuffed Indigenous child on the floor of a Vancouver hospital – an incident the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs has denounced as "horrendous."
A Saskatchewan man who had his charges stayed based on pandemic delays in court will be headed back for trial, after a ruling from the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal.
Three downtown business organizations are advocating for the City of Regina to locate a new multi-purpose events centre and central library branch in the downtown core.
The chief of the Williams Lake First Nation says he would support excavating possible unmarked graves at the site of the former St. Joseph's Mission residential school if that's what elders and the community decide is best.
