'Kick in the ass' helps ER wait times, administrator says

The hospital in Sudbury says emergency room waits are down thanks to a recent review of its services.

For the past two months, Health Sciences North hasn't seen the bed shortages that have clogged up the hospital in recent years.

Chief Operating Officer Joe Pilon credited a recent peer review ordered last year by the province, which he said finally prompted hospital staff to put into practice its strategies for dealing with elderly patients.

"We got a little bit of a kick in the ass to say, 'you can lead this and you can make a difference," Pilon said.

"In trying to figure this out we had all kinds of good ideas and we never just sat down and said 'Let's do it.'"

Pilon said he's surprised by how well patients have been flowing in and out of the hospital in recent weeks.

However, a spike in influenza cases in Sudbury could soon lead to a bed shortage, he noted.