HSC nurses meeting with health minister about ER staff shortages
Staffing shortages at Winnipeg's emergency rooms and urgent care centres are still translating into longer wait times for emergency care, with nurses being brought in from other departments to help with the workload.
Health Sciences Centre (HSC) chief operating officer Dr. Shawn Young said despite their busy emergency room, there are still hundreds of vacancies at the hospital, meaning nurses with resuscitation skills from other areas are working in the ER.
"So when we are short on a particular night or a particular day we've been asking the ICU to help and most of the time they have been able to help with one, two or three nurses," said Young.
In August, the average wait time for all urgent care centres and emergency rooms in Winnipeg was a little more than 3 hours– 22 minutes longer than the previous month.
The average length of stay in the ER was steady but still well above pre-pandemic levels at 20.38 hours.
As well, 16 per cent of patients left the ER without being treated, nearly 30 per cent at HSC.
Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU), said HSC adult emergency nurses are meeting Thursday evening with Health Minister Audrey Gordon to discuss the current problems.
"Nurses need to be able to talk about their experiences and give real life examples of what's happening right now and where they're seeing some failures," said Jackson. "And I think that would be very helpful for the nurses to actually be able to bring those examples and those issues forward."
Jackson said she's heard 30 nurses will be attending the meeting.
A government spokesperson tells CTV News Winnipeg that Minister Gordon has met with healthcare staff at various levels over the last year and more meetings are planned for the coming weeks to get feedback directly from HSC ER nurses.
- With files from Michelle Gerwing
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Australian police arrest 7 alleged teen extremists linked to stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church
Australian police arrested seven teenagers accused of following a violent extremist ideology in raids across Sydney on Wednesday, as a judge extended a ban on social media platform X sharing video of a knife attack on a bishop that started the criminal investigation.