Queensway Carleton Hospital reducing services due to staffing shortage
CBC News | Posted: December 30, 2021 2:22 PM | Last Updated: December 30, 2021
More than 40 staff members having tested positive for the virus
The Queensway Carleton Hospital is pulling back on some services due to a staffing shortage caused by COVID-19.
Ambulatory Care, therapeutic services and endo/cysto services will be scaled back as staff are redeployed to other areas, the hospital said in a news release.
"We appreciate how difficult this is for our patients whose care needs may be delayed. Please know, this isn't a decision that was made lightly," Kerry Cook, vice-president of patient care, said in the release.
More than 40 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, but the hospital said the cases are primarily from household contact.
The hospital is currently at 107 per cent capacity, which isn't unusual for this time of year, but there is a 141 per cent occupancy in medicine and 150 patients on isolation precautions.
The hospital is asking people to avoid going to the emergency department if possible, and seek alternative methods of care for non-emergencies.