Three Durham hospitals are joining a provincial initiative intended to reduce Lakeridge Health ER wait times and improve the movement of patients through emergency departments.
Ajax Pickering Hospital, Oshawa Hospital and Bowmanville Hospital are included in the second phase of Ontario’s Emergency Department Action Team, known as EDAT.
Team will review emergency department bottlenecks
The provincial team is expected to work with hospitals on practical methods for streamlining processes, identifying bottlenecks and improving patient flow. The goal is to help patients receive care more quickly.
Ontario first tested the program at five emergency departments operated by The Ottawa Hospital, Windsor Regional Hospital and Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. The second phase expands the work to 26 hospitals, including the three Lakeridge Health sites in Durham Region.
The province says it is investing more than $47 million over four years to support the team. The announcement did not provide individual funding amounts or wait-time targets for Ajax Pickering, Oshawa or Bowmanville.
Three Lakeridge sites included in phase two
The inclusion of all three named Lakeridge emergency departments means the initiative will span Durham’s western, central and eastern hospital sites. It does not change where residents should seek emergency care.
People experiencing a medical emergency should continue to call 911 or attend the nearest appropriate emergency department. Patients with non-emergency needs can use existing primary-care and urgent-care options where suitable.
Results will depend on the changes recommended and implemented at each hospital. No local completion date was included in the report.
The provincial initiative is intended to address Lakeridge Health ER wait times through operational review rather than by announcing a new emergency department or additional local hospital beds.
