Healthcare officials in Fredericton have raised concerns about the soaring occupancy rates of Horizon hospital beds due to a surge in patients awaiting long-term care. Greg Doiron, the vice-president of clinical operations, highlighted the challenges faced by Horizon in managing alternate level of care (ALC) patients who are occupying hospital beds while waiting for placement in nursing homes or special care facilities.
The situation is expected to worsen with an impending increase in emergency room visits and hospital admissions during the upcoming respiratory season. At the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, only 10 out of 30 emergency beds were available, with the remaining beds occupied by patients awaiting transfer to other facilities.
Currently, about 42% of beds at the Chalmers Hospital and 40% system-wide are taken up by ALC patients, leading to overcrowding and significant strain on resources. To address the capacity challenges, Horizon has initiated measures such as opening additional unfunded beds and deploying existing staff to handle the increased workload.
Despite these efforts, the number of ALC patients is projected to rise to 711 by Christmas, representing 41% of acute care beds. This surge in demand is further exacerbated by anticipated cases of flu, COVID-19, and respiratory infections.
Board chair Susan Harley acknowledged the crisis in hospital occupancy, emphasizing the need for immediate solutions to alleviate the strain on emergency departments and surgical services. Horizon is implementing strategies to expedite the assessment and discharge of medically stable patients to their homes while awaiting long-term care placement.
Furthermore, Horizon plans to launch an emergency department diversion program to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and enhance early intervention and rehabilitation services. The long-term care assessment pilot at various hospitals aims to streamline the assessment process and facilitate quicker access to appropriate care facilities.
To address the bed shortage, Horizon is developing a crisis patient spaces plan, which involves reallocating services from hospitals to the community and creating additional beds in identified locations. The CEO, Margaret Melanson, emphasized the urgent need for increased capacity in nursing homes and home care services to alleviate the strain on acute-care facilities.
Efforts to reach the Department of Health and Social Development for comment on the situation were unsuccessful.