New statistics from Health Quality Ontario show patients waited an average of 2.1 hours to see a doctor in an Ontario emergency room in May, up from 1.9 hours in April. In Ottawa, the average wait time to see a doctor for a first evaluation in the emergency room was between 1.9 and 3.7 hours. CHEO reported an average wait of 3.7 hours for a first physician evaluation in May, up from 3.4 hours in April. The Ottawa Children’s Hospital recorded its busiest May on record, with more than 235 children per day visiting the hospital for care. The Ottawa General Hospital Campus had an average wait of 3.6 hours for a first evaluation by a physician in May, up from 3.4 hours in April. At Civic Campus, the average wait for a first evaluation by a doctor was 2.8 hours in May, up from 2.5 hours in June. Patients waited an average of 3.4 hours for a first assessment by a doctor at Queensway Carleton Hospital in May, up from 2.8 hours in April. Montfort Hospital had the shortest wait to see a doctor, at 1.9 hours in May. This is up from 1.8 hours in April. The statistics come as hospitals across Ottawa and eastern Ontario are reporting longer-than-usual emergency department wait times due to patient volume. A message on CHEO’s website says: “Expect a longer wait. If your child needs urgent care, come to CHEO. Please bring all the essentials you will need for a long wait because it is a really busy time. As always, the sickest people see first.” The A&E at Glengarry Memorial Hospital is closed in the evenings until 3 August due to staff shortages, while the A&E at Perth Hospital is closed from 2 July. CHEO, Queensway Carleton Hospital and Ottawa Hospital rank in the top 10 for the longest wait times for a first evaluation by a doctor in the emergency room. Windsor Regional Hospital – Metropolitan Campus has the longest wait times to see a doctor in Ontario at 5.1 hours in May. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center has the second longest wait times, followed by the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Hawkesbury and District General Campus ranked fourth for waiting times, at 3.8 hours.
