'More people in emergency than we’ve ever had before’: Province responds to record rates of patients leaving hospital ERs without being seen

B.C.'s premier and minister of health say they are focusing on healthcare measures intended to reduce wait times at hospital emergency departments after CTV News reported the rate has reached a historic high on the Lower Mainland. 

Adrian Dix, asked about the issue Friday, said the root of the problem is a growing demand due to an increase in patients suffering serious health issues and an increase in the overall number of patients seeking emergency care.

"First of all, we have more people in emergency than we’ve ever had before," Dix said.

The rising number of patients taking up beds has forced hospitals to rank the seriousness of their condition, with Dix saying it ranges from one to five, with one being the most severe.

"What we're seeing in this period of this third year of the pandemic is way more (level) two and three patients," said Dix.

The severity of the situation was brought to the surface on Wednesday after CTV News obtained data showing Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health authorities' rate of patients leaving before treatment is double or triple the typical rate, with up to one in 10 patients giving up because of long wait times.

Premier David Eby responded to the statistics on Friday and said measures are being taken to respond to the high demand for care.

"Relief is on the way. We have 3,700 internationally trained nurses now that are in the queue for our expedited evaluation and assessment process so they can get on the frontlines as quickly as possible," said Eby.

The health minister also mentioned solutions lie in investing in long-term care, primary care, home care, and mental health services, among other programs.

Dr. Steven Fedder has worked at Richmond Hospital for nearly two decades.

The emergency physician says over the past few years, the demand for emergency care at that facility has spiked, caused by several factors such as; the number of people moving to Richmond, the increasing senior population, and the complexity of patients' medical problems.

"We have the same issues that emergency departments and the health-care system have been struggling with for the last few decades, but now it's been magnified," said Fedder.

"It's related to the inability to provide the services the patients require because there's a lack of capacity."

Fedder says the emergency department is essentially the medical safety net that the health-care system depends on, but right now, it's not catching all patients requiring care—a reason why he and his colleagues called for action leading up to this summer.

"The problem we have now is our emergency departments have no place to care for patients because it's become a ward where admitted patients stay," he said, adding that one way to relieve the pressure would be to decrease the amount of time admitted patients stay in emergency wards.