Stats obtained by NDP show Grand River Hospital working above safe capacity

Several Grand River Hospital (GRH) units frequently operate over safe capacity, according to documents obtained by the Ontario New Democrats. 

Between January 2015 and December 2016, general medicine, surgery, stroke and oncology beds at GRH were often operating at above 100 per cent capacity. The NDP says that according to the province, 85 per cent is the safe capacity limit.

The NDP leader Andrea Horwath told reporters at a sidewalk news conference outside the hospital that health care staff are being asked to do more with less and patients are paying the price. 

"If the hospitals are funded adequately than it won't cause the kind of lack of space and lack of surgery time and lack of OR time," said Horwath.

She said 60 per cent of larger regional hospitals in Ontario like GRH are operating over capacity most of the time. 
The New Democrats believe the Ontario Liberals and the Ontario Progressive Conservatives  have the same view on health-care and have done more damage with frozen budgets and under-funding, shortchanging hospitals by up to $300 million this year alone. 

Details in the report

According to occupancy details obtained by the NDP:

• The hospital's 66 beds in the general medicine units operated above 100 per cent occupancy in 22 of 24 months, with occupancy reaching as high as 116.9 per cent.
• The hospital's 56 surgery beds operated above 100 per cent more than half of the time with occupancy reaching as high as 111.4 per cent.
• The hospital's 22 beds in the stroke unit operated above 100 per cent occupancy in 17 of 24 months, with occupancy reaching as high as 108 per cent.
• The hospital's 20 oncology beds operated above 100 per cent occupancy in 12 of 24 months, with occupancy reaching as high as 110 per cent.

Grand River Hospital released a statement that said there are peak periods throughout the year when it will open additional temporary beds and make additional staff available to help with increased patient flow.  

"This tends to be more common in the winter months, when we have increased emergency department visits due to influenza and respiratory issues," the hospital said. "Our staff works with our community providers and other regional partners to assure that each patient is receiving the right care in the right place."

Region posts long wait lists for hip and knee surgery

The New Democrats also pointed out stats by Waterloo Wellington LHIN that show Waterloo region has the longest wait times for hip or knee replacement than any other part of the province.  

Jim Walsh can relate to that since by the time he has his hip surgery on September 11, he will have waited a year for the operation.

"The biggest shock was when [the specialist] said to me the wait time is going to be 18 to 24 months," said Walsh. "I thought, 'I'm never going to make it.' It's just getting worse and worse. You can hear the clicking, it's bone on bone in the hip joint. So, it gets pretty sore."

Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife said her office has heard from many people like Jim Walsh and added there's only so much an opposition member can do except to hold the government to account.

"Quite honestly it's not the hospital's fault," said Fife.  "They have stretched their dollars as far as they possibly can and they've tried to mitigate the damage that four years of budget freezes and nine years total of very limited funding for hospital care."

Both Horwath and Fife say the NDP is committed to providing base funding for hospitals that will keep up with inflation, the population and the needs of a particular community.  Horwath also calls for a moratorium on the layoffs of nurses and frontline healthcare workers.