With an average wait of more than 16 hours to be admitted to hospital from an emergency department, it was the worst June on record for so-called “hallway medicine” dating back to 2008, when the province began collecting the data, the organization that represents the province’s 141 hospitals says.

OHA president Anthony Dale said the trajectory is worrisome, given that flu season is around the corner.

“The situation is not viable. Our backs are against the wall,” he warned.

At the same time, the financial position of some of the province’s biggest hospitals is bleak and they are struggling to make ends meet, Dale said.

“Some of the largest organizations are facing serious challenges,” he said. “They are trying to meet an exploding demand for services with limited resources. They are looking under every rock for more efficiencies and savings.”

But there aren’t many to be found, given that the sector has been in austerity mode for more than a decade, he noted.

Hospital capacity measurements for June this year are the most current monthly metrics available. They show that the average wait time to be admitted to hospital from an ER was 16.3 hours.

At the same time, more than 4,500 patients were occupying hospital beds during the month even though they no longer required hospital care. Known as ALC patients — for “alternate level of care” — their numbers were 450 higher than the previous year.

“The truth is the ALC situation is very stubborn and all signs indicate it is deepening through the year,” Dale said.

He said solutions put in place by the province are welcome but insufficient.

The Ford government is creating new long-term care beds, which will relieve ALC pressures, but they won’t be opened for a number of years.

It’s also continuing to create “transition” beds in places such as old hospital sites that these patients can move into while they wait for space to become available in long-term care homes.

Meantime, the province is in the midst of overhauling the health system, creating “Ontario Health Teams,” which will be charged with improving integration of care.

The government has also announced plans to invest millions into hospital and home-care innovations.

“We need a viable bridge strategy until the long-term solutions take hold,” Dale said.

He said the sector is hoping for some relief in the province’s fall economic statement and in next year’s budget.

“Hospital budgets need to be more realistic to reflect the actual demands placed on them,” he said.

“They are facing remarkable financial and patient care challenges. And they are moving heaven and earth to make sure they are successful in meeting them.”

Travis Kann, director of communications for Health Minister Christine Elliott, said the government is working with the OHA to find solutions to funding pressures faced by some hospitals, “dating back to the previous government.”

As well, he said the government also recognizes the need to pursue longer-term reform.

In July, Premier Doug Ford promised to fix the problem of hallway medicine within a year, a commitment Elliott subsequently downplayed.

Theresa Boyle is a Toronto-based reporter covering health.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/09/04/worst-june-on-record-for-hallway-medicine-at-ontario-hospitals.html?utm_source=TVO&utm_campaign=f33540ab75-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_1_17_2019_10_56_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_eadf6a4c78-f33540ab75-68105177