Prince Edward Island’s first Collaborative Emergency Centre, which begins operating this evening, will restore stable overnight emergency services to Western Hospital for the residents of West Prince, announced Minister of Health and Wellness Doug Currie.
“Our government is committed to increasing access to health care services in the West Prince area and ensuring stable, consistent care in the community,” said the minister. “Through the introduction of a Collaborative Emergency Centre, we will be able to provide residents of West Prince better access to both emergency services and primary care.”
This spring, government announced its Better Access, Better Care initiative to improve access to health care services in Prince Edward Island. Among the initiatives was the establishment of a Collaborative Emergency Centre model within the emergency department at Western Hospital to ensure both stable emergency department services at the hospital and improve access to primary care services in the area.
Under the new Collaborative Emergency Centre model, Western Hospital’s emergency department will operate as a traditional emergency department during the day (from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.) and will be staffed with on-site emergency department physicians and nurses. During the evening hours (from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. the next day) the department will operate as a Collaborative Emergency Centre and will be staffed with highly-trained health care providers that include paramedics with Advanced Life Support training and emergency nurses, as well as on-call oversight provided by an emergency department physician. The model at Western Hospital is similar to the Collaborative Emergency Centre model adopted by Nova Scotia.
“Over the past few months, Health PEI has been working closely with staff, physicians, Island EMS, community partners and stakeholders to sort through various processes to ensure that we are able to seamlessly transition the emergency department at Western Hospital to a Collaborative Emergency Centre during overnight hours,” said Dr. Richard Wedge, CEO of Health PEI. “This new model of emergency care is key to ensuring that we are able to offer reliable emergency and primary health care services to our patients and residents when they need it.”
For the past number of months, Western Hospital’s emergency department was only able to offer service fourteen hours per day (from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.) due to a lack of consistent physician coverage during overnight hours. Many emergency department physicians who support Western Hospital’s emergency department also operate a family physician practice in the community, making it difficult to offer consistent access to emergency and primary health care services to residents of West Prince.
“This new model will ensure that the doors at Western Hospital remain open 24 hours a day and free up our family physicians, allowing for an additional 140 primary care patient appointments per week,” added Currie.
The overnight Collaborative Emergency Centre at Western Hospital begins operating Monday night (tonight) at 8 p.m.
For more information on Better Access, Better Care visit: www.healthpei.ca/betteraccessbettercare.
Q&A – COLLABORATIVE EMERGENCY CENTRE
What is a Collaborative Emergency Centre?
A Collaborative Emergency Centre (CEC) is an innovative way to improve access to both primary health care and emergency care. This model of health care delivery was developed and successfully implemented by Nova Scotia in communities which had difficulty maintaining 24-7 emergency services.
The CEC is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and offers a traditional emergency department services during daytime hours (from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.) by a team of professionals that includes emergency doctors and nurses. During the overnight hours (from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m.), it operates as a CEC with a team that includes paramedics with Advanced Life Support training and emergency nurses, as well as well as on-call oversight provided by an emergency department physician.
What are the benefits of this model?
This model will return stable, reliable, predictable overnight access to emergency services and primary health care in West Prince. This new model allows Western Hospital to reopen its emergency department overnight after several months of continuous disruption and closure.
Additionally, many physicians who support the emergency department service at Western Hospital also operated a family physician practice which made it difficult to offer consistent 24-hour emergency department and primary care services. This new model, with a transition to a Collaborative Emergency Centre overnight, offers a better balance with our physicians and will allow for better access to primary care physician services in the community.
Who makes up the CEC team?
The overnight (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.) Collaborative Emergency Centre team includes paramedics with Advanced Life Support training and emergency nurses who will provide urgent care assessment in consultation with an on-call emergency physician.
Will CECs improve emergency services for residents West Prince?
Yes. CECs will ensure consistent access to emergency care for residents during overnight hours.
How do I know who to call and when should I need medical attention?
• Call 9-1-1 immediately: if experiencing symptoms such as chest pain, seizures, severe abdominal pain, bleeding, difficulty breathing, dizziness, difficulty speaking or sudden weakness.
• Go to the Collaborative Emergency Centre overnight/ Emergency Department during the day: if experiencing symptoms that you think may require prompt attention such as mild fever, minor burns, sprains and strains.
• Call 8-1-1: if you need health information. Trained health care professionals are available 24 hours a day to give you advice on your health care options.
• You can also make an appointment with your family physician or visit a walk-in clinic for non-urgent health care needs.
If a patient has a serious emergency such as a heart attack or major car accident, would a CEC be able to handle it?
If a patient arrives at the CEC with serious or life-threatening injuries, they will be transported by ambulance to the closest, most appropriate acute care hospital (Prince County Hospital).
Can paramedics with Advanced Life Support training and emergency nurses offer appropriate care without a physician onsite?
Yes. With every patient that comes in, they will consult with a physician over the phone. If a patient’s needs exceed the capabilities of the site, patients are transported by ambulance to the nearest acute care hospital (Prince County Hospital).
Isn’t the CEC model just replacing physicians with emergency nurses and paramedics with Advanced Life Support training?
No. The CEC model still relies heavily on physicians for care, and is successful when it has a strong core group of emergency physicians who provide on-call support during overnight hours. This model can ease the burden on rural primary care physicians who work in the emergency department during daytime hours and make the most of existing resources by allowing emergency nurses and paramedics with Advanced Life Support training to work their full scope of practice. It can support stability of health care providers by offering a better work-life balance for those working in this kind of collaborative environment.
How will the model be evaluated?
There will be specific indicators, expected outcomes and patient/staff satisfaction surveys completed to determine the areas of improvement required so the CEC model and approach can be amended to best meet the needs of patients and health care providers.