Staff at Quinte Health Care hospitals is working to address a spike in patients heading into emergency rooms.
On Tuesday, QHC Board members heard about a 3,600 year-over-year spike in patients heading into the ER between April and December of 2017. There has also been an overall increase in patients at QHC hospitals in Bancroft, Belleville, Trenton, and Picton.
Now in the midst of respiratory illness season, which includes the flu, Chief Nursing Officer Carol Smith Romeril says the balancing of work has been a challenge. Smith Romeril says staff and physicians have been working hard to support a large number of patients with many different illnesses. QHC says a lot of work went into making sure it had enough staff ready to take care of a surge in patients.
Smith Romeril says extra Ministry of Health funding has also helped.
