New program targets 'high users' to reduce time paramedics wait at hospitals

Waterloo regional paramedics say a new program will help reduce the time their ambulances spend waiting at hospitals.

According to a performance report, a total of 206.6 ambulance days were lost between January and August 2018 due to offload delays.

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An offload delay is the time an ambulance spends at a hospital while the paramedic waits for hospital staff to take charge of their patient.

Paramedic Chief Stephen VanValkenburg says a certain percent of those patients are "high users" people who are transported by ambulance to hospital more than four times a year.

Program targets high users

"They're going to the emergency department, but that's not really where they need to be," he said.

VanValkenburg said, more often than not, these individuals need to see a family doctor, a counsellor or need to be connected to another level of care.

If we're not transporting folks to the hospital that don't need to be in the hospital ... it will help us with that offload delay and that backlog in the emergency department.- Chief Stephen VanValkenburg

"But the way that the legislation is written right now for paramedics is that when someone calls 911 and we're dispatched to the scene, the only place we can take them to is an emergency department."

But now, paramedics in Waterloo region have another option. As of last week, they can ask individuals if they would like to be referred to the new community paramedicine program.

If a person agrees, they will be contacted by a community paramedic, who will visit them, perform an assessment and then connect them with the appropriate care provider.

'Creates efficiencies and capacity'

VanValkenburg says some may still choose to be taken to hospital, but others may opt to wait for the assessment.

He also said community paramedics will try to work preemptively, getting to people who are known to be high users before they call 911.

"Anytime we don't have to take a patient to the emergency department, it creates efficiencies and capacity in the system," he said.

"If we're not transporting folks to the hospital that don't need to be in the hospital ... it will help us with that offload delay and that backlog in the emergency department."

VanValkenburg said it's still too early to tell how much relief the new program will bring to the system.

The community paramedicine program began on Oct. 1.