Investments in emergency care have reduced ambulance offload times by more than 50 per cent

Peterborough — The Ontario government is investing $10,037,559 in the County of Peterborough to connect people to emergency care faster and increase the availability of ambulances.

“When people call 911, they need to know that paramedics will arrive quickly to meet their needs. A delay in a service call of just minutes can lead to drastically different results,” said Dave Smith, Member of Provincial Parliament for Peterborough-Kawartha. “The Peterborough County-City Paramedics work hard to deliver emergency medical care. This investment will help all of us receive better service when our loved ones pick up the phone at that critical time,” MPP Smith added.

In Peterborough County, Ontario, is increasing land ambulance funding by six per cent, bringing the province’s total investment in the region to $10,037,559 this year. This increase in base funding helps ensure municipalities address increased costs so they can continue to deliver high-quality emergency care.

“With record high population growth and call volumes, our Peterborough County-City Paramedics are working hard to keep up,” said Bonnie Clark, Warden of the County of Peterborough. “The Provincial funding announced today will help our paramedics service to continue providing the high quality of care that Peterborough County and City residents expect and deserve. Thank you to the province for this funding to help our paramedics do their job and keep our communities safe and healthy.” Warden Clark added.

In addition, to further reduce delays paramedics encounter when dropping patients off at a hospital, Ontario is investing $607,727 in Peterborough County through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program to hire more nurses and other eligible health professionals dedicated to offloading ambulance patients in hospital emergency departments.

“Peterborough County/City Paramedics have worked closely with PRHC identifying and implementing strategies to assist with offload delays,” said Peterborough County Paramedic Chief Patricia Bromfield. “The continuance and increase of funding received this year is important for our ongoing staffing of this program and returning our ambulances back to the road to service the community.” Chief Bromfield added.

The program allows paramedics to get back out into the community faster and respond to their next 9-1-1 call sooner and has played a significant role in reducing ambulance offload times and increasing ambulance availability for 9-1-1 patients across the province. As a result of this investment and the dedication of health care professionals, provincial ambulance offload time has been reduced by more than 50 per cent since its peak in October 2022.

To ensure urgent patients receive critical care sooner, Ontario is also continuing to implement the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) across the province. The system helps to better prioritize and triage emergency medical calls and dispatch paramedics sooner. Over the last year, the province has rolled out MPDS to Mississauga, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Ottawa and Renfrew, and are accelerating progress to implement the system at the 15 remaining dispatch sites across Ontario over a year ahead of schedule. With Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the government continues to take action to strengthen the health care system so that it is responsive and is evolving to meet the health needs and priorities of Ontarians, no matter where they live.

QUICK FACTS

• The government’s additional investments into the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program over three years will help municipalities cover around 800,000 dedicated hours to support offloading ambulance patients in the emergency department.
• Currently over 200 patient care models led by paramedic services across the province are now approved to provide appropriate and timely care options for eligible 9-1-1 patients in the community, instead of in the emergency department.
• The government is helping more students become paramedics by adding more than 300 spaces in paramedic programs at provincial colleges across Ontario, making it easier for future paramedics to access education and training closer to home. 
• The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant is providing over 350 first-year paramedic students studying in select Northern postsecondary institutions with funding for free tuition, books, compulsory fees and other direct educational costs. After graduating, students will need to work in the same region they studied for a minimum of six months for every full year of study funded by the grant.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Ontario Bolstering Nursing Workforce in Emergency Departments
• Ontario Investing in a Stronger Public Heath Sector
• Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care

Dave Smith Action Centre
705-742-3777
David.smith@pc.ola.org

Attachments

Ontario Connecting People to Faster Emergency Care