Fast Facts
Access to Care - Emergency Room / Alternate Level of Care
Emergency Room
Fact: Over 50% of Emergency Room visits in North Simcoe Muskoka are made by patients with non-urgent or less urgent needs.
Reducing the number of non-urgent cases that present in the ER will enable emergency clinicians to focus on patients with critical needs.
The availability of primary care resources influences the access and utilization of ER resources. In NSM 8.6% of patients are without a family physician, whereas the provincial average is 7.4%.
A growing seniors population places further demands on our Emergency Departments. Seniors aged 65+ represent nearly one quarter – 22% of all ER visits.
The number one problem presented at ERs within NSM LHIN is injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes, such as falls, which accounts for 22% of all visits.
With an increasing prevalence of chronic disease, the third highest number of ER visits in NSM is related to diseases of the respiratory system, which accounts for 12% of all ER visits.
NSM LHIN is committed to finding ways to reduce ER demand, including enhancing access to primary care and improving public education on access to community services, including wellness and prevention.
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Fact: Time spent in the Emergency Room is too long; 90% of ER patients are treated within 7.7 hours from triage to discharge.
Improving admission and triage processes will enable emergency clinicians to provide more efficient care.
Reducing the time patients spend in emergency rooms is a complex issue that requires improvements throughout the entire health system.
Important work is currently underway in NSM LHIN to achieve operational improvements in emergency departments.
Alternate Level of Care
Fact: Time in the ER is four times longer for ER patients admitted to hospital (29.4hrs); 80% of their total ER time (23.7hrs) is spent waiting for an inpatient bed.
In NSM LHIN, about 19% of patients who are currently in an acute care hospital bed are not able to leave the hospital due to lack of access to more appropriate care, such as a long-term care or home support services.
An Alternate Level of Care patient occupying an acute care bed can create a domino effect in hospitals when there are no other beds available, causing people to spend a longer time in the ER.
Alternate Level of Care patients, once designated are spending an average of 52 days in the hospital until they are discharged.
53% of ALC patients are waiting for a long-term care bed in North Simcoe Muskoka.
The average wait for long-term care home placement in NSM is around 160 days.
There are approximately 1,361 clients on the long-term care waitlist.
NSM LHIN is committed to continue investing time and money to reduce the number of people who stay in hospital when they could be at home or in the community getting services better suited to their needs.