Winnipeg ER wait times continue to rise as health minister meets with nurses – Winnipeg

People waited longer for care in Winnipeg hospitals last month, according to new figures.

According to Shared Health, the overall average wait time for Winnipeg’s four emergency departments and three urgent care centers in August increased to 3.23 hours, up nearly 22 minutes from the previous month.

In addition, 10% of patients in August waited about 8 hours for care, an increase of 30 minutes compared to July.

The Shared Health report also says about 300 of the 800 people who visited Winnipeg hospitals in August may have been treated by a primary care physician or a walk-in clinic.

HSC Winnipeg COO Shawn Young said vacancy rates continue to push wait times.

READ MORE: WRHA hopes to cut waiting times, reduce stress for emergency departments

Waiting times, staffing shortages and the strain on our healthcare system were all discussed tonight at a town hall meeting between nurses and Manitoba’s Health Minister. , Audrey Gordon.

The minister met with nurses to hear about burnout concerns.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said the opportunity for nurses to meet the minister was rare and she hoped the voices of frontline workers would be heard.

“I’m not sure she fully understands what’s going on at the HSC emergency school and the many emergencies around the province,” Jackson said. “So I think it’s going to be incredibly important to talk directly with those nurses and their stories about what’s going on and the examples.”

A spokesperson for Gordon said the minister “meets regularly with all levels of health system staff and she will hold follow-up meetings in the coming weeks to get feedback on our health system.” us directly from the nurses of the HSC emergency department.”