Grand River Hospital says long ER wait times have decreased

Grand River Hospital says it has made some major improvements in wait times but its most recent numbers suggest it still takes twice as long for patients to see an ER doctor at Grand Riverthan the national average.

A cross-Canada survey by the Canadian Institute for Health Information or CIHI, released Thursday, said Grand River Hospital hassecond-longest emergency room wait times in the country at up to sevenhours.

• Hospital ER times reveal some disturbing waits

CIHIlookedat the amount of time90 per cent of patients spentbetween arrival at the ER and seeing a doctor, otherwise known asthe90thpercentile. The remaining 10 per cent of patients waited more than sevenhours.

Karin Olson,the vice president of clinical services and chief nursing officer at Grand River Hospital,says the survey by CIHI was based on numbers from 2012 and the hospital has improved since then.

"We've had 10 new hires of physicians, we're also fully staffed in our emergency department. So that has made a significant difference for our ability to provide the care," she said.

Olson says in 2013,wait times dropped from sevento 5.4 hours and the hospital is still striving to improve.

"I think that there was just a shortage of physicians and staff. The reason I can't really speak to, I wasn't here at the time," she said. "But it does happen, within hospitals where departments go through changes where they have a physician or staff shortage. Also just because of the volume increase, I think we were alsounderstaffed as well."

Despite that, 5.4 hours to see a doctor is still almost double the national average of threehours.

Olson said she would like Grand River Hospital to hit the three-hour wait time mark.

Meanwhile, St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener improved its 2013wait times to 4.2 hours and in August, it was 3.2 hours, the hospital said. In 2012, 90 per cent of patients waited 5.4 hours to be assessed by ER doctors at St. Mary's.