While the Sturgeon Community Hospital continues to face over-crowding challenges, health officials say efforts are being made to mitigate the effect on patient care and more beds are on the way.
Dr. David Mador, medical director in Alberta Health Services’ Edmonton Zone, said while instances of overcrowding have increased in Edmonton-area hospitals this year compared to last, patient care is always a top priority.
“We do our best,” he said. “Our hospitals are very crowded; we know that. Our goal is always to provide quality care.”
Data released last month by provincial NDP Leader Rachel Notley showed these situations, known as overcapacity protocol triggers, have become more common year-over-year with a peak of 85 in the area so far this fiscal year compared to 74 last year.
At the Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert there have been nine separate weeks with 19 triggers, compared to just four weeks with 19 triggers last year.
Mador explained that typically this means means the emergency room has reached a certain threshold of patients waiting to be treated, so extra steps are taken.
Patients may be placed in a third bed within a two-patient room or in a fifth bed within a four-patient room, while staffing levels are increased to handle the additional workload. He said while every effort is made to minimize the impact on patient care, it’s not an ideal solution.
“Our emergency rooms are crowded, our in-patient wards are crowded, our long-term care facilities are stretched,” he said. “We have issues with capacity.”
There is currently work underway to add another 10 beds at the Sturgeon Community Hospital, which Mador said he expects to be completed in 2015, and the hospital also seeks other efficiencies to get patients discharged with minimal delay like getting tests done sooner.
He added increasing continuing-care capacity in the area would also help alleviate the pressure, since there are many patients who could use those spaces and free up other hospital beds.
“Certainly the Sturgeon hospital has their share of those patients,” Mador said.
Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Stephen Mandel, said he’s seen the numbers and the year-over-year increase has been “pretty modest.” He noted while the numbers don’t paint a comprehensive picture of the situation, the problem and solution are the same as they’ve always been.
“We’ve got a growing and aging population so there are more people each year who need to get out of hospital into continuing care,” he said. “The continuing care supply has almost kept up, but not quite.”
He said there are between 700 and 800 patients in the province who are waiting for continuing-care and long-term care beds, Mandel is planning to announce funding in the coming weeks, prior to the March 26 provincial budget presentation, to add long-term care beds. A total of almost 1,000 continuing-care beds will be opened this fiscal year.
As for how many of those new spaces would be in or near St. Albert, Buick wouldn’t say.
“That will have to wait for the detailed announcement in the next couple weeks.”
