June 09, 2006
Health Minister Tim Sale today announced a plan to help regional health authorities (RHAs) bolster emergency department services in Manitoba hospitals this summer.
"We have some of the best emergency department professionals in the country and they do an excellent job of getting Manitobans the care they need but, during the summer months, emergency departments right across Canada face challenges," said Sale. "That’s why we are announcing a plan to help RHAs manage staffing challenges through the busy season."
The four-point plan on emergency departments will:
1. Employ alternate-staffing models to better use nurses and family physicians.
Emergency departments will work to use extended-practice nurses and family physicians to treat less-urgent patients. Fast tracking, first piloted at the Health Sciences Centre, will be extended to other sites where appropriate.
2. Improve co-ordination between regional health authorities.
Regional health authorities outside of Winnipeg will work together to co-ordinate doctors’ schedules to better assign staff resources.
3. Provide an incentive program for doctors to work hard-to-fill shifts in emergency departments.
There are in excess of 200 more doctors working in Manitoba now than there were 10 years ago. Nevertheless, it is still difficult to fill all emergency department shifts, especially at night, on weekends and during holiday periods. To better fill these shifts, the province will provide the RHAs with support to offer a $1,500 incentive to doctors to work a block of five shifts that are difficult to schedule such as night or evening shifts. This incentive will provide assistance in recruiting doctors for emergency departments across the province.
In addition, Manitoba Health is working with the Manitoba Medical Association and RHAs to support the commitment of regular emergency department doctors to maintain and increase their staffing of emergency departments.
4. Promote appropriate use of emergency departments.
On average, over 1,500 people visit emergency departments every day in Manitoba. Emergency departments are always busy and treat patients with varying levels of conditions from heart attacks to minor scrapes. It’s important for people to know that there are other services they can access if they feel their condition does not require urgent care.
The province is undertaking a public-awareness campaign to begin June 16 that will provide information to help patients access the appropriate level of services. Patients will be encouraged to go to an emergency department for serious conditions and will be provided information on how to access services such as walk-in clinics for less-urgent care.
"Emergency departments are key to the health-care system and it’s important to praise our ER staff for their hard work," said Carmel Olsen, CEO of the Brandon Regional Health Authority. "These initiatives are taking a major step in maintaining consistent coverage and making sure services are there for patients, who are our top priority."
Dr. Brian Postl, president and CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said the plan recognizes the importance of patients having timely access to emergency departments.
"We’re all aware of the stress members of our emergency program and staff in all departments have been working under to ensure that access," said Postl. "We also recognize the extra efforts our emergency physicians - with much-needed help from their colleagues in family medicine - have been making to ensure that access."
"Manitobans should receive the best possible care when and where they need it," said Sale. "Over the past few years, we have added 1,300 more nurses and over 200 more doctors, committed more than $180 million dollars to redeveloping hospitals and emergency departments around the province, initiated new care models, provided more training seats for doctors and nurses, and substantially reduced the number of patients spending an unacceptable length of time in our emergency departments. This plan is designed to continue that progress and we expect it will go a long way to addressing short-term challenges over the summer months."
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
On average, over 1,500 people visit emergency departments in Manitoba every day.
Since 1999, the province has committed more than $180 million to redevelop hospitals and emergency departments across Manitoba.
The province has opened two access centres – Access River East in Winnipeg and the Seventh Street Health Access Centre in Brandon to provide care for less-urgent patients.
In addition to these access centres, there are other primary health-care facilities located in Winnipeg and Manitoba.
To find out more about health services in their communities, Manitobans can call Health Links
Health Links has been expanded to offer medical advice in over 100 languages. Health Links recently became the first Canadian program awarded the international I-Care award for health call centres.
In the past two years, 47 nurses have been added to emergency department staff across the province. There are 1,300 more nurses in Manitoba since 1999.
Nineteen reassessment nurses have been introduced in Manitoba who are in place at all Winnipeg hospitals 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority was the first jurisdiction to implement this role in Canada.
Since 1999, more than 200 additional doctors are practising in Manitoba.
This July, the province will graduate 20 family medicine residents. Eighteen are staying in Manitoba (90 per cent). Seventeen of these graduates received grants through the Medical Student/Resident Financial Assistance Program.
In 1999, only 54 per cent of family medical graduates stayed in Manitoba.
In addition, the province has expanded spaces in medical schools to 100 in 2006 from 70 in 1999.
Thirty-eight of the 46 Emergency Care Task Force recommendations have been implemented and the remaining recommendations and are in the process of being implemented.
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