The man in charge of emergency services in Greater Sudbury says the problem of ambulances being stuck at the hospital waiting to unload patients has gotten significantly better.
“It's not perfect, but it has gotten better,” said Tim Beadman, the city's director of emergency services. “And we still have work to do.”
In 2012, paramedics in Sudbury wasted more than 4,000 hours caring for patients who were waiting to be unloaded from ambulances at hospital. But provincial funding announced last summer allowed the hospital to have a dedicated nurse in the emergency department during peak times to handle patient transfers, including on weekends.
“So the offload delays have gotten better,” Beadman said today, at a news conference where Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci announced more than $9.3 million in funding for the city's ambulance services, representing half of the total budget.
The city pays the rest.
The full costs of the service was downloaded to municipalities by the cost-cutting Conservative government in the 1990s. Bartolucci said his Liberal government knew it was unfair for cities to pay the full share, and the province has paid 50 per cent of the costs since 2008.
“The funding we’re providing this year means that Sudburians can continue to count on quality land ambulance services when they need them,” Bartolucci said outside of the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda, where the news conference was held. “Our government will continue to work with our municipality to improve access to ambulance services for people in Greater Sudbury.”
Bartolucci said he often “brags” about the quality of ambulance service in Sudbury.
“You should be very proud.”
Mayor Marianne Matichuk said she knows that first-hand, having gone out on a call with Sudbury's ambulance service.
“I had never ridden in the back of (an ambulance),” she said. “I was just overwhelmed. (The service) was just top notch.
“As the head of council, I am very, very proud of what you're doing.”
The 2013 funding is an increase of $246,919 or 2.7 per cent more than last year.
Quick facts
- Ontario has covered 50 per cent of land ambulance operating costs for municipalities since 2008.
- In 2012, the land ambulance system responded to nearly two million ambulance requests and transported about one million patients.
- Each year, approximately 11 per cent of Ontario’s population use the ambulance system as their initial access point to Ontario’s emergency health care system.
- Every municipality is responsible for ensuring the proper provision of land ambulance services according to the needs of residents in the municipality.
- Ontario also covers 100 per cent funding for First Nations communities and territories land ambulance operating costs.
