Parents, doctor worried by ER wait times as B.C. Children's Hospital sets up emergency operations centre

The B.C. Children's Hospitalis seeing a spike in visits to its emergency department this fall and is bracing for an increase in respiratory illnesses.

In a statement, the hospital's chief operating officer saidit is logging 142 to 150 visits per day, up 20 per cent from this time last year. Before April 2021, Sarah Bellsaidthe hospital saw 135 visits per day.

Doctors and families are both concerned that wait times at the hospitalcould continue to rise.

The hospital did not give specific reasons for the increase in volume at its emergency department (ED).

In a statement, it referred to "staffing resource challenges" across the health-care system and also said as many as half of the visits to the ED in the past month might not have actually required emergency care. It urged parents and guardians toread its guideon when to bring their child to the ED.

Bell said the hospital is expecting a surge ofrespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases,based on current trends in Canada and around the world, but the rate of cases rate is still "relatively low."

RSV is a common respiratory virus that, in rare cases, can lead to severe illness in infants and older adults with pre-existing conditions.

"We are proactively prepared to respond to a respiratory surge and have set up an Emergency Operations Centre [EOC]at our hospital," Bell said in her email.

An EOC"brings together key decision-makers and experts in a consistent structure to guide the response" to an emergency, according to PHSA.

The centre is responsible for tasks like setting strategy, co-ordination between agencies and managing resources.

"Activating an EOC is a frequently used practice to proactively manage patient access and flow at virtually all acute-care facilities," Bell said.

"In our ED, we have been seeing mainly viral illnesses, gastroenteritis, fevers, nausea and vomiting and upper respiratory tract infections."

Bell saidthe uptick comes at a time when health-care staffing remains a problem at Children's and across B.C.'s entire medical system.

"We are continuing to support our clinical staff in the ED to help alleviate the pressures that they continue to face in providing 24/7 emergency care to children and youth."

Doctor, parents concerned

At least one family doctor is concerned about what the busy emergency department could mean for patients.

"If this is what it looks like now and we haven't hit what is traditionally the peak of respiratory virus season, what is going to happen in November, December, January?" Dr. Anna Wolak asked.

"And will the hospital system and the health-care system, frankly, be able to sustain that?"

Wolak said staff are also impacted by the situation.

"It's scary," she said. "There's nothing more [of a] helpless feeling than knowing there are sick people outside in the waiting room that you cannot get to because you have other patients."

A family thatexperienced a long wait at Children's in June described it as a frustrating, exhausting experience.

Kenton and Cayleen Klassen took their five-month-old daughter to Children's when an 811 call ended with a recommendation for an emergency department visit after the baby girl banged her head.

They spent over 11 hours at Children's before a doctor saw them.

They say they're grateful for the care their daughter received but something needs to be done about waits.

"Something has to happen at a structural level, quickly," Kenton said.

Watch for signs of illness, hospital said

On Sunday, wait times at Children's were estimatedat more than eight hours.

In an emailed statement,B.C. Children's chief medical officer Dr. Jana Davidson said wait times can fluctuate considerably at any hospital.

"BC Children's is committed to ensuring that every child gets the care they need and the most urgent patients are attended to first," Davidson said."Our triage system, which manages patients based on illness severity, is different than the typical 'lineup'some families might expect. The most ill patients are seen as a priority."

The hospital said parents should look for signs of respiratory illness in kids and take kids to the emergency if they have breathing problems, make grunting sounds, breathe "really hard" or turn pale or blue.

It's also reminding parents to get kids up to date on vaccines, including COVID-19 and flu shots, to stay home when sick, avoid people at high risk of serious illness when sick and "practise respiratory etiquette."

"Wear a mask in indoor public spaces, cough and sneeze in your elbow. Clean your hands regularly and avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, mouth and nose."