Measures not ideal but necessary for the next 24 to 36 hours: AHS spokesperson
Aug 03, 2022
A long weekend surge of patients and increasing number of hospital units under stress has prompted Alberta Health Services to purposefully place inpatients in hallways.
A memo sent to doctors Tuesday working in Edmonton zone hospitals says every hospital unit should be taking one more patient than it has room for to help free up space in emergency rooms, and that all units need to have a hallway patient at all times.
“This is being done to support patient flow throughout the entire Edmonton Zone and keep EMS available in the community,” Alberta Health Services spokesperson James Wood said in a Wednesday email.
AHS also told staff to review inpatients to see who could go home or return to long-term care centres to make space in hospitals.
Wood said the measures aren’t “the preferred method to provide care” but are necessary for the next 24 to 36 hours.