Emergency department over capacity at Queensway Carleton Hospital

Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) says anyone visiting its emergency department can expect to wait a little longer than usual.

In a tweet, Wednesday, November 17, the hospital says it's experiencing a high volume of patients who need to be admitted and it expects longer-than-average wait times in its emergency department “for the next few days.”

QCH is at at 116 per cent occupancy on Wednesday, with 20 admitted patients in its emergency department waiting for a bed.

“Please know that our team is working diligently to ensure that every patient receives the highest quality care,” said QCH.

In a statement to CityNews Wednesday evening, the QCH confirmed that patient volumes have been increasing over time, much like other hospitals in the city.

“Patients are presenting with a higher acuity and stay in our care for a longer period of time,” QCH said in its statement.

In particular, QCH said it has been seeing a higher number of patients coming in with shortness of breath and cardiac presentations.

“It’s important for people to get the care they need when they need it and not delay it,” QCH said.

According to Ottawa Public Health (OPH), acute care beds across all of the city's hospitals are at 102 per cent capacity. Intensive care units are 75 per cent full.

The hospitals have yet to explain what they believe is causing the uptick in patients needing to be admitted, however, cold and flu season is underway, and it's expected to be more of a “typical” year.