Emergency Medical Services in Manitoba:
Planning for Tomorrow - Making a Difference Today

Provincial Emergency Medical Services Framework

When an emergency happens, every person wants to receive the medical help he or she needs as quickly as possible.  Emergency medical services, commonly referred to as EMS or pre-hospital care, provides timely and safe medical assessment, treatment, and transportation across the province.

Recently, a planning framework has been developed by Manitoba Health & Healthy Living and the regional health authorities to enhance emergency medical services delivery in the province. This planning will ensure up-to-date pre-hospital care continues to be available when and where it is needed.

What are emergency medical services?

Emergency medical services provide pre-hospital care to people who are sick or injured and are a key component of the health care system. This includes timely and safe medical assessment, treatment, and transportation services to citizens and communities in Manitoba.

Manitoba’s emergency medical services system operates within the broader provincial healthcare delivery system. It is a core health service of the regional health authorities and Manitoba Health and Healthy Living.

The key services in the emergency medical services system include:

• emergency medical dispatch;
• emergency medical response and medical care;
• emergency medical transport; and
• inter-facility medical transportation.

Where have we come from?

Manitoba’s emergency medical services have evolved from numerous independently and municipally-operated ambulance services to a collection of 11 systems that are delivered by the regional health authorities and their operational partners.

Since 1999, Manitoba Health and Healthy Living has implemented several new initiatives and changes to emergency medical services, including implementing:

• a provincial fleet vehicle program and purchasing 160 new ambulances;
• the Medical Transportation and Coordination Centre to provide coordinated medical dispatch services;
• legislation and regulations that increase the standards for emergency medical services; and
• the Primary Care Paramedic education program at Red River College.

Why do we need to change and why is a planning framework needed?

The Provincial Emergency Medical Services Framework has been developed as a guide to help regional health authorities review the emergency medical services system and implement even more effective ways of providing care. This includes looking at how individual parts of the system work together and determining what improvements can be made.

As new technology and more efficient emergency medical services are introduced, other parts of the system may become outdated. It’s important to review the services that are available and make changes to ensure emergency medical services are updated and operate efficiently. The goal of making improvements is to ensure high-quality emergency medical care continues to be available across Manitoba.

Some areas for discussion include:

• ensuring access to high quality pre-hospital care,
• continuing to provide reliable emergency medical dispatch;
• providing access to high quality and consistent patient triage and assessment;
• maintaining qualified crews on ambulances;
• maintaining well-equipped ambulances
• locating emergency medical service stations in the right places to make sure they can respond to calls quickly and efficiently;
• coordinating pre-hospital care with other services within the health care system;
• ensuring efficient use of resources in the system;
• responding to the needs of changing populations in the province;
• supporting ongoing changes in the delivery of health care; and
• implementing new technology and standards in emergency medical service delivery.

What is our objective?

The province is committed to ensuring emergency medical service systems deliver pre-hospital care within the following guiding principles:

• Emergency medical services are safe and effective.
• There will be a base level standard of pre-hospital care across the province.
• When there is a medical emergency, the ambulance response and transport will be as timely as possible.
• Emergency medical services are a part of the broader health system to ensure access.
• Emergency medical services will be sustainable over time.
• Manitobans will have the opportunity to work with their regional health authority and be involved in the planning process for emergency medical service delivery.

How will we achieve our objectives?

One key area includes strengthening the quality of emergency medical services. This includes implementing new ways to improve services and make sure care is based on sound medical practice and the best available medical evidence.

The province and the regions are also committed to supporting emergency medical services personnel and helping them maintain the knowledge and skills they need to provide the appropriate level of care.

This will include making sure paramedics can take part in educational programs and ongoing training, have access to pre-employment education, and are able to apply for increased career level positions.

Basic paramedic services will be complemented with advanced paramedic services and medical first response. Advanced paramedic services will be available where they can be medically supported and consistently maintained.

Resources will be organized so the core emergency medical services are available to provide timely response and transport to Manitobans 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Resources in the system will be coordinated to provide seamless response so the most appropriate ambulance responds to an emergency.

Emergency medical services will be connected to other sectors within the health system to provide services. This will include strengthening monitoring and planning to make sure that the emergency medical service system can continue to adapt in the years ahead.

Implementing quality assurance and quality improvement programs, and efficient data collection and analysis systems, will provide information to guide monitoring and decision-making for future changes in the emergency medical services system.

The province and the regions will work with local communities, stakeholders and the public to enhance emergency medical services across Manitoba. Manitobans will be involved in the planning of EMS through their regional health authority’s planning processes.

These kinds of partnerships are vital to making sure the emergency medical service system is stable and efficient, affordable and can be sustained over time.