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Wait Times

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Niagara Health has made significant progress in patient wait times for key procedures under the provincial government’s new Wait Time Strategy and anticipates wait times will improve.


The province of Ontario has expanded its wait time reporting to include all adult and paediatric surgical areas. Through the wait times website, Ontarians can now find wait times for all surgical areas performed and diagnostic CT and MRI procedures at hospitals across the province.

Emergency Department Wait Times

Wait times for both minor and complex patients in Emergency Departments (ED) are now posted publicly for hospitals across Ontario, including Niagara Health. This Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) initiative is the first of its kind in North America.

The total time spent in an ED is measured beginning when a patient registers, continues as the patient receives diagnostic/lab tests and treatment, and ends when the patient is either discharged or admitted to a hospital bed.

Click here for Emergency Department and Urgent Care Centre Wait Times

ED Wait Time - High Acuity - Complex conditions/requiring more time for treatment or hospital bed admission (hours)

Note: St. Catharines General (SCG) ED and Ontario Street Site (OSS) UCC closed and opened at the new St. Catharines Site (SCS) ED on March 24, 2013

*Please note that the ER information is not real-time information and should not be used to assess the time you may spend in the ER today. If you believe you need immediate emergency care, please go to your nearest emergency room


ED Wait Time - Low Acuity - Minor or Uncomplicated Conditions/Requiring Less Time for Treatment or Observation (hours)

Note: St. Catharines General (SCG) ED and Ontario Street Site (OSS) UCC closed and opened at the new St. Catharines Site (SCS) ED on March 24, 2013

*Please note that the ED information is not real-time information and should not be used to assess the time you may spend in the ED today. If you believe you need immediate emergency care, please go to your nearest emergency room.


Number of ER visits:

 Number of ED visits

graph of high acuity ED/UCC wait times

*Please note that the ED information is not real-time information and should not be used to assess the time you may spend in the ED today. If you believe you need immediate emergency care, please go to your nearest emergency department.


graph of low acuity ED/UCC wait times

*Please note that the ED information is not real-time information and should not be used to assess the time you may spend in the ED today. If you believe you need immediate emergency care, please go to your nearest emergency department.


Urgent Care visits:

Number of Urgent Care Visits

Definitions

Total Time Spent in ER

The maximum amount of time nine out of 10 patients spend in an ER being diagnosed, receiving treatment or waiting for admission to a hospital bed. Most patients spend less time, while one out of ten patients will spend more time.

Provincial Target

Ontario has two targets for time spent in ER:

  1. Up to eight hours for patients with complex conditions requiring more time for diagnosis, treatment or hospital bed admission.
  2. Up to four hours for patients who have minor or uncomplicated conditions requiring less time for diagnosis, treatment or observation.

Provincial Average (Time Spent in ER):

The time spent in ER value calculated from all time spent in ER data submitted in Ontario.

Complex conditions/requiring more time for diagnosis, treatment or hospital bed admission:

Refers to the maximum amount of time nine out of 10 patients with complex conditions requiring more time for diagnosis, treatment or hospital bed admission spent within the ER from the time they register to the time they leave the ER.

Minor or uncomplicated conditions/requiring less time for diagnosis, treatment or observation:

Refers to the maximum amount of time nine out of 10 patients with minor or uncomplicated conditions requiring less time for diagnosis, treatment or observation spent within the ER from the time they register to the time their visit is complete and they leave the ER.

Niagara Health