North Hastings Hospital is at risk of having “temporary, short-term closures” over the summer.
That from Quinte Heath, the organization that oversees the Bancroft-based hospital.
It released a statement ahead of the Canada Day weekend to say it’s experiencing a “critical physician staffing shortage in its hospitals.”
Chief of Staff Dr. Colin MacPherson says North Hastings Hospital has struggled to replace some physicians who’ve recently left Quinte Health.
“Our teams are quite stretched,” he says. “In particular, in the emergency department, we’re concerned about risk over the summer.”
“Looking at the July and August schedule, we have more gaps in our schedule compared to the same point last year. This means there’s simply a higher risk that we won’t be able to fill every shift over the summer.”
Quinte Health says “the shortage will mean longer wait times” as there will be fewer staff in emergency departments to provide care.
Quinte Health also says it’s taking an “all hands-on deck” approach to avoid closures. It will notify partners and the public, as soon as possible, if there is a closure.