There is inaccurate and outdated information circulating about emergency department wait times, and it has real consequences. When numbers are presented without context or don’t reflect current conditions, it risks discouraging people from coming to the emergency department when they need care.
At Niagara Health, our most recent data shows that 90 percent of patients are assessed, treated and, where needed, a decision to admit is made in 15.3 hours or less. For those who do require admission, the total average time to move to an inpatient bed is 56.4 hours. That second phase reflects broader system pressures, particularly the availability of beds and the number of patients waiting for alternate levels of care (ALC), not delays in emergency assessment or treatment.
Behind these numbers is the work of highly skilled teams in our emergency departments. Physicians, nurses and staff are managing high patient volumes and complex cases while continuing to provide safe, compassionate care. They are making difficult decisions in real time and working to move patients through the system as efficiently as possible.
We are making progress. In 2024/25, the time to decision to admit was 16.5 hours, and the time to an inpatient bed was 64.8 hours.
That improvement reflects focused work to strengthen discharge planning, avoid unnecessary admissions by connecting patients to care in the community, and work with partners to move alternate level of care patients into more appropriate settings.
This work is focused on improving patient flow so people receive care in the right place and reducing the time patients spend waiting in the emergency department.
