New ER beds result in wait-time cuts for over 2,500 London Children's Hospital patients

A recent expansion of the pediatric emergency department at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has helped reduce wait times for more than 2,500 patients over the last several months.

That's according to LHSC officials, who said donors and the Ontario government provided funding for the additional beds.

London's Children's Hospital has been "bursting at the seams" and in need of new treatment spaces as the city continues to expand, said Dr. Rod Lim, medical director and section head of the hospital's emergency room.

In addition to London, the hospital's catchment area covers all of southwestern Ontario, as well as a large portion of northern Ontario, including Thunder Bay and areas further north, such as Red Lake and Fort Hope.

"The world we live in now is different than 10 years ago, and certainly we felt that over here," Lim told CBC News in an interview to air Thursday on London Morning. In addition to the growing population, the province has faced a mental health crisis among youth, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As a specialized hospital that takes care of geographically almost a third of the province with almost a hundred specialists, we really are the front door for that service."

Funded by Children's Health Foundation donors and the Ministry of Health, the emergency department has eight new beds, along with two new dedicated procedure rooms, bringing the total number of care spaces to 30.

Lim said the new spaces were designed to be inviting and peaceful so patients and their families can "take some of the intimidation" away.

"Being able to bring in kids that are waiting for care spaces … we've been able to bring them in earlier and start care earlier," he said.

"The more care spaces that we can provide, the more we can really organize the type of patients coming to us quicker and bring those that need care in faster."

In a statement, Sylvia Jones, Ontario's deputy premier and minister of health, said the expansion builds on a $330-million investment in pediatric care that the government unveiled last year.

Earlier this week, Toronto's Michael Garron Hospital unveiled a new pediatric facility, paid for in part by the same provincial initiative.

Scott Fortnum, president and CEO of Children's Health Foundation, said they "continue to raise funds for this important initiative" and thanked donors for their help in the expansion.