Hospital Beds Full: Surgeries at Risk

The crisis of alternative-level-of-care (ALC) patients occupying hospital beds is escalating, according to Horizon Health CEO Margaret Melanson. These patients, who no longer require acute hospital care but await nursing home placement, now account for 40% of Horizon's beds. This situation is the primary factor overwhelming emergency departments, with urgent cases seeing wait times of nearly four hours and an average wait of 18 hours for a bed.

Melanson has previously raised alarms about the issue, noting that no significant improvements have occurred since last October. She fears that if the trend continues, Horizon Health will face surgical interruptions within the next year, as hospital spaces will be needed for admitted patients. The province's premier reported last month that 1,076 individuals are awaiting nursing home spaces, with half of them being ALC patients currently in hospitals.

Horizon Health is attempting to mitigate the issue by expanding an initiative to place ALC patients in the first available nursing home bed within 100 kilometers. While the province has agreed to coordinate this effort, the scarcity of nursing home beds means no patients have been moved from other Horizon facilities yet. An upcoming long-term care plan from the government is anticipated to offer solutions, with one proposal suggesting shifting hospital beds to long-term care facilities for more appropriate and cost-effective patient management.