Record overcrowding at McMaster Children’s Hospital means critically ill kids are forced to double up in ICU rooms
Critically ill kids are doubling up in rooms meant for one during a surge of viral illness that has caused record overcrowding at McMaster Children's Hospital.
Earlier in December, McMaster changed the set up of the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) so rooms could accommodate two instead of one.
This has allowed more children to remain in Hamilton for their care," Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) said in a statement.
At least two kids who would normally go to McMaster for critical care have been sent hours away during a surge of viral illness over the last three months that has left the hospital with more patients than funded beds.
In November, a four-year-old rescued from an east Mountain house fire was transported to London.
The Toronto Star reported on another Hamilton four-year-old who was sent to Kingston in November after becoming critically ill from a bacterial infection.
We've never seen a crisis this big," Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, said about hospital overcrowding provincewide. Patients are being treated in conditions that are completely unacceptable - conditions of overcrowding, a lack of privacy and really inadequate care and that has to end."
McMaster has regularly had more critically ill kids than funded beds since October. Despite the province funding six more PICU beds in early December, overcrowding persists.
As of Dec. 22, McMaster had an occupancy of 108 per cent in its PICU - anything over 100 per cent requires opening unfunded beds and finding a way to staff them.
While this is not ideal, every child in the ICU is receiving safe and appropriate care," stated HHS. We are exceedingly grateful to all of the staff and doctors ... for their relentless efforts to provide care to all patients."
Doubling up in the PICU means only one caregiver can be in the room at a time, they may be asked to leave when care is being provided to the other patient and no cots are available to stay overnight.
It absolutely atrocious," said Sandy Shaw, MPP for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas and a member of the NDP. Now hospitals are forced to double up care because of a lack of resources. How did it come to this?"
Joanna Frketich is a health reporter at The Spectator. jfrketich@thespec.com