Government Invests in Emergency Care

The province is adding more beds to the region's largest hospital, as part of a $2-million investment into three initiatives that will improve emergency patient care.

Eight new general medicine beds were opened today, Sept. 28, at the Halifax Infirmary by Health Minister Maureen MacDonald. The beds will help reduce overcrowding and bottlenecks caused by a shortage of available beds.

"Improving emergency care is a significant part of our commitment to create better health care for Nova Scotians and their families," said Ms. MacDonald. "Addressing the overcrowding problem at the QEII is a big step forward that will ease pressure on hospitals across the province."

Government is continuing to work on reducing health-care waits and improve emergency patient care by opening a rapid assessment unit and an integrated intermediate care unit.

"This is just part of our plan," said Ms. Mac Donald. "We look forward to recommendations from our provincial emergency care advisor this fall to build on the progress we are making."

"On many days the waits can be long, not only to receive care, but also to be admitted to a hospital bed," said Chris Power, president and CEO, Capital Health.

"To improve wait times in our emergency departments –- and ultimately the quality of care patients receive -- we have to work on many areas at the same time. The investments announced today are part of the solution to reducing overcrowding."

Before the creation of the rapid assessment unit, most patients were admitted through the Charles V. Keating Emergency and Trauma Centre at the Halifax Infirmary. At times, the process created long waits and overcrowding as patients not requiring emergency care waited in emergency for specialist consultations.

Some patients will now be diverted to the rapid assessment unit for specialist consultations. The assessment will help determine if they need to be admitted, held for monitoring or discharged back to their referring hospital. This will support more timely transfers from other hospitals, reduce wait times and help reduce over-crowding.

The rapid assessment unit will accommodate up to eight patients at any one time and will be staffed from 8 a.m. until midnight, Monday to Friday. This is the period when most of the referrals for specialist consultations are received.

In addition to the rapid assessment unit, government is investing in a new 12-bed integrated intermediate care unit. The unit opened in April and is used to transition patients from critical care units. The integrated unit includes some private rooms for better infection control and a new nursing model of care which includes personal support workers assisting registered nurses.

The new unit created space in the hospital for eight new general medicine beds. The province provided $585,000 for renovations and equipment in the new integrated intermediate care unit and rapid assessment unit. A $70,000 private donation through the QEII Foundation also helped fund the integrated intermediate care unit.

Both units are located in the former emergency department space at the Halifax Infirmary.