The provincial government is launching a new, $3 million pilot project at the QEII Health Sciences Centre Halifax Infirmary site in an attempt to reduce ambulance wait times.
Officials said the emergency department transition team will help get patients into emergency care quicker, and people who don’t need emergency care out of emergency rooms and into the hospital faster.
They said that will reduce patient wait times and get paramedics back on the road sooner.
Zach Churchill, Health and Wellness Minister, said they are focused on fixing patient-flow problems in emergency rooms.
“We all agree there are pressures on the system,” he said “That’s why we are investing over $3 million to pilot a dedicated emergency department transition team at the QEII, where the need is the greatest.”
Officials said a similar program was created at the Dartmouth General Hospital in 2017, and Nova Scotia Health Authority evaluations showed was effective.
The pilot emergency department offload team at the QEII Health Sciences Centre is set to be in place by September.
