By Paul Turenne
Winnipeg Sun
Copyright 2008 Sun Media
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service will soon begin stationing paramedics in some hospital emergency rooms in a pilot project to free up ambulances to respond to calls.
WFPS Chief Jim Brennan said Winnipeg paramedics wait an average of 43 minutes to “off-load” patients they transport to city hospitals. Paramedics are required to monitor patients until their care is turned over to clinical personnel at the hospital, which accounts for the delay.
While they wait, though, the ambulance waits in the parking lot and cannot respond to calls.
Although off-loading delays are a common problem across Canada and internationally, Brennan said Winnipeg’s average wait is about 13 minutes longer than the Canadian average. Every three-minute delay above that 30-minute threshold equates to taking one ambulance out of service around the clock, Brennan said.
“Off-load delays seriously hamper our ability as an organization to respond,” he said. “Obviously, if the ambulances aren’t able to respond, there are greater response times.”
The delays also cost the city about $2.8 million per year, Brennan said.
A pilot project announced yesterday will see the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority pay $200,000 over the next year to have paramedics stationed in emergency rooms. They will wait with and monitor patients arriving in stable condition during peak hours at Health Sciences Centre and possibly St. Boniface General Hospital, which should allow paramedics staffing ambulances to get back on the road sooner.
“We hope one paramedic will be able to handle four or five patients while they’re waiting to be triaged,” Brennan said. “It’s a resolution for now as we work on grander plans to solve the hospital delay situation.”
Brennan said the project will allow four or five full-time equivalent positions to be recruited above and beyond the current complement of paramedics. It has not yet been decided whether paramedics will rotate during their shift or be stationed in hospital the whole time.
A spokeswoman for the WRHA said if the pilot project is successful, the health authority could pay for paramedics to permanently be stationed at Winnipeg hospitals. The project’s success will also determine whether it is extended to other city hospitals.