Significant progress needed to improve Manitoba's ER wait times, says health authority

For the fifth consecutive year, a Winnipeg hospital has claimed the unsavoury title of having the longest emergency room wait times in Canada, a national health report says.

Annual figures released Wednesday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information also found Winnipeg has the highest rate of hospital deaths in the country. Using thehospital standardized mortality ratio which compares hospital deaths with the average Canadian experience, Winnipeg's ratio is 116, while Canada's average is 93.

In raw numbers, more than 2,833 people died in hospitals in the province.

Winnipeg, longest ER wait time in Canada

8 years ago

Duration 1:48

For the fifth consecutive year, a Winnipeg hospital has claimed the unsavoury title of having the longest emergency room wait times in Canada, a national health report says.

Concordia Hospital kept visitors in the ER waiting longer than anywhereelse in the country last year, with 10 per cent of people or approximately 2,960 individuals waiting for 6.8 hours or longer before beingassessed by a physician, according to the CIHI report.Nationally, the comparable figure stands at 3.1 hours.

Of the nearly 200 health-care facilities for which ER wait times data were collected (Qubecdoes not share indicators with CIHI), Winnipeg's six largest hospitals ranked in the top 12 countrywide.

However there are early signs that improvements are on the horizon.

Trending in right direction, WRHA says

The CIHI report showsonly marginal improvements in wait times since last year for Winnipeg hospitals as a whole after years of poor scores.

However,Winnipeg Regional Health Authority officialssaytheir preliminary internal figures for the current year suggest visitors can expect more pronouncedimprovements next year.

Year-to-date figures on wait times indicate Winnipeg hospitals are on track to reduce their wait times by 8.5 per cent next year, despite years of poor performance.

"We're pleased with that progress. We recognize that we still have significantly more progress to make," said LoriLamont, vice-president and chief nursing officer of the WRHA.

Lamontcredits the improvements over the past six months to newly established "rapid assessment zones" and special intake teams, which move patientsmore quickly into waiting rooms where they can be seen by a physician or nurse.

What exactly is a wait time?

CIHI says health professionals generally assess wait times in ERsby measuring how long it takes 90 per cent of patients to be seen by a physician because it provides a more realistic picture of access to timely health. Acrossthe Winnipeg health region, 90 per cent of ER patients were seen within5.5 hours last year.

Average wait times for the nearly 280,000 ER visits in Winnipeg were approximatelytwo hours over the same time period.

90th percentile wait times forWRHAhospitals (2015-16):

• ConcordiaHospital: 6.8 hours
• Victoria General Hospital: 6.7 hours
• St. Boniface General Hospital: 6.5 hours
• Grace Hospital: 5.1 hours
• Health Sciences Centre: 4.7 hours
• Seven Oaks General Hospital: 4.4 hours

Change under PC government

The Progressive Conservative government seized the opportunity to point out that thepoor performances recorded by CIHI over the past years did not occur under their watch.

"The previous NDP government allowed emergency department wait times in Manitoba to skyrocket to some of the highest in the country. Our government remains committed to making Manitoba the most improved province in Canada and will be launching our wait times task force in the coming weeks," wrote a spokesperson for the health minister's office.

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MattWiebe, the NDP's opposition health critic,said his party is skeptical of the Progressive Conservatives'promise to follow through on this initiative.

"It's been talked about a lot, announced three times, and yet no action," he said.

Wiebe also pointed outthe previous government was responsible for the creation ofQuickCare Clinics and increased community health initiativesto address ER backlogs. He did not explain why these initiatives failed to reduce wait times, however.