Hospital Improvement Plan Implementation

Niagara Health System

• Developing the Plan
  • About HIP
    • Why a HIP?
    • Questions and Answers
    • Case for Change
    • Quality Care
    • Financial Pressures
    • Factors Driving Change
    • How Can We Change?
    • NHS at a Glance
    • Better Ways of Delivering Care
  • Background
    • Key Messages
    • National Trends in Health Care
    • Niagara’s Population
      • Geographic Overview
      • Travel Maps
      • Population Projections
      • Population Characteristics
      • Income and Employment
      • Health Determinants & Practices
      • Health Status, Life Expectancy
      • Hospitalization
      • Prevalence of Chronic Conditions
      • Disease Prevalence Maps
  • FAQs
    • The Hospital Improvement Plan
    • Emergency Care in Fort Erie/Port Colborne
    • Women’s & Children’s Health
  • Vision / Plan
    • HIP Addendum – December 2008
    • HIP Addendum & Site Charts – November 2008
    • Kitts Review & Recommendations – October 2008
    • Consultation Summary Report – October 2008
    • Draft Hospital Improvement Plan – July 2008
    • Health Experts Say …
      • Centres of Excellence
      • Emergency Services
      • Women’s and Children’s Health
    • Vision Details
      • Emergency Services
      • Women’s and Children’s Health
• Implementing the HIP
  • Implementation Plan – Year 1
  • Early Opportunities
    • Surgical Program
    • Medicine Program
    • Emergency Services
    • Maternal/Child Program
    • Addictions & Mental Health
  • Site & Services – Now and by 2013
  • Planning for Changes
  • Effective Use of Patient Care Equipment
  • HIP Implementation Steering Committee
• Stakeholder Relations
  • Community Information
  • Community Advisory Forums
  • Chair’s Message to C.A.F.
  • Vice Chair’s Address
• Contact
• News
• Videos
• Contact

Emergency Services

About Changing Emergency Services in Fort Erie and Port Colborne

Submitted by: 
- Dr. William Shragge, Chief of Staff, Niagara Health System
- Dr. John McAuley, Regional Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine

The Hospital Improvement Plan released recently by the Niagara Health System outlines a case for change, to find a more effective way to provide future care to Fort Erie and Port Colborne residents. Our intent in this letter is to help clarify the facts and find solutions for the challenges before us.

Many residents of Fort Erie and Port Colborne have no alternative but to use their local hospital Emergency Department (ED) for primary or non-emergent care – for example, for prescription refills or a doctor’s note for work. There aren’t enough family physicians or walk-in clinics or outpatient programs, so patients return to the ED time and time again.

Seriously-ill emergency patients are transferred to the larger hospitals for the diagnostic, specialist and critical care they need. Often, patients go directly by ambulance from home or accident scene to a larger centre. In the case of a suspected stroke, ambulance paramedics rush patients to Greater Niagara General Site, where a specialty stroke team is on call.

From 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., our small EDs treat less than one patient per hour and the majority of these patients are less-urgent who could safely wait until morning. True emergency cases average less than one patient per night. Most often, these extremely-ill patients are transferred to larger hospitals.

To provide more appropriate care, we are proposing that the EDs at Douglas Memorial Site and Port Colborne Site transition to Prompt/Urgent Care Centres open seven days a week.

These Prompt/Urgent Care Centres would treat over 95% of the patients being seen in EDs, with onsite diagnostic, laboratory and pharmacy services available.

For serious cases, Niagara Emergency Medical Services strives to have an advanced-care paramedic on each ambulance, ensuring a high level of pre-hospital care en route to larger EDs with the back up of full diagnostic services, specialists and operating rooms. Having these EDs as the first destination for the sickest patients avoids delay in diagnosis and treatment.

This is a snapshot of what the future could be. We know there needs to be much more discussion with health-care partners and the communities we serve.

---

Back to Top