Manitobans are now waiting longer in emergency rooms than almost anywhere else in Canada, according to a CIHI report released this week.
That’s the wrong direction, but it’s not surprising given the lack of fundamental change frontline health care professionals have seen.
On behalf of our 7,000 specialized members, MAHCP is calling on our provincial government to staff up in critical allied health areas to help free up beds and relieve the bottlenecks driving up ER wait times.
“Unfortunately, Manitoba is still short of critical allied health professionals, and we risk losing more of them due to burnout, increased workloads, and wages and benefits that have fallen behind,” said MAHCP President Jason Linklater.
We’re recommending:
- more diagnostic professionals to perform tests and scans shown to have the greatest impact on reducing ER wait times;
- more physiotherapists and occupational therapists to help free up beds by making sure patients get back on their feet and return home safely, or to keep patients safe at home in the first place and avoid trips to the emergency room;
- more social workers to make sure patients can be discharged safely with the supports and resources they need; and,
- more resources in the community, including home care case coordinators.
Since their election last fall, our government has announced important health care initiatives such as expanding hospital discharge to evenings and weekends, and adding more hospital and transitional care beds. Unfortunately, these initiatives won’t succeed – and ER wait times will remain unacceptably high – without increased retention and recruitment of allied health professionals.
“MAHCP is eager for a staffing update to find out how many critical positions have been added and filled to support the expanded discharge schedule and additional transitional beds. We’re asking for a comprehensive and transparent staffing plan to ensure Manitoba is retaining, training and recruiting the specialized allied health professionals necessary to fix the ER crisis.”