Health Sciences Centre ER desperate for staff, paramedics to fill gaps
Paramedics will be supplementing emergency department staffing at Manitoba’s largest hospital, a direct result of an ongoing nursing shortage.
On Monday Dr. Shawn Young, COO of Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg, confirmed that this may be the way it works going forward inside the hospital.
“They’re an excellent resource to be able to help staff and support the emergency work,” said Young. “Working in triage, working in resuscitation, they have the skill sets and the tools to be able to provide that service exceptionally well.”
Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew said using paramedics to supplement the HSC emergency room, which is the provincial hospital, is concerning.
“This was created by the cuts and closures that we have seen from the PCs over the past few years in healthcare,” Kinew told CTV News. “And it just seems like Manitobans are constantly being asking to accept these stop-gap, temporary measures as the new normal.”
A Shared Health spokesperson told CTV News while no paramedics were available to work in HSC's emergency department, the practice of using paramedics to support ER staffing has been used at multiple sites.
Young said this has already been routine practice in other facilities in Manitoba, including at Grace Hospital, but this past weekend was the first time off-duty paramedics were asked to work at the HSC emergency department.
Even before the pandemic, Young said HSC Winnipeg was looking at a partnership with paramedics so the hospital wasn’t so heavily dependent on the nursing resources.
“We have had a nursing shortage for quite some time. This is because of the nursing shortage,” he said.
Young did not know how frequently paramedics will be working in the HSC emergency department and added this is the opportunity to make a partnership between paramedics happen more permanently.
“I don’t know what those schedules will look like. The weekends are definitely an opportunity for us because that is when some of the trauma is at its worst and some of our needs are at its greatest,” Young said.
Ryan Woiden, the president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union Local 911, is concerned about paramedic burnout, and spreading the profession too thin inside and outside of Winnipeg.
"There are only so many paramedics in the province and you have places they all have to be," Woiden said. "Offering another place for them to work doesn't exactly… it certainly leaves me slightly concerned when we haven't heard what the plan is."
Young said this would not impact paramedic services, as the paramedics would not be on duty as a paramedic at the same time they would be working in the ER. The Shared Health spokesperson said paramedics have a professional obligation to ensure they are fit for work, meaning they cannot accept additional shifts they believe may impact their jobs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.