By Troy Gillard (Twitter: @Troy_Gillard)

Overcapacity protocol at Red Deer Regional Hospital

Oct 22, 2018 | 4:52 PM

In what has become somewhat regular occurrence, the Emergency Department at Red Deer Regional Hospital was under such pressure Friday night that an Overcapacity Protocol was initiated.

The protocol, created by Alberta Health Services in 2010, involves guidelines and triggers to address ED wait times when certain pressures are reached. Some of the triggers for initiating the overcapacity protocol include when more than 35 per cent of ED care spaces are blocked, there is no ED space is available for new urgent patients, inpatient hospital beds in the facility are all occupied, and EMS resources reach certain strains that could affect response times.

The goal, officials say, is to ensure no patients are turned away even when hospital resources are strained.

“Initiating Overcapacity Protocol (OCP) is not an unusual occurrence, but more a process that we use to ease demand and improve access when demand is high,” AHS spokesperson Mellisa Ballantyne tells rdnewsNOW. “It occurs at various urban and some rural hospitals across the province. In 2017, there were more than 200 days OCP was initiated in Red Deer.”

Friday’s situation at Red Deer Regional saw a makeshift Emergency Department set up in order to deal with the influx of patients.

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Ballantyne says those who need emergency care will receive it.

“Unfortunately, many people end up in the emergency department because they don’t know where else to go,” she notes. “We want Albertans to get the right care they need, in the right place and hope residents are aware of the various care options available. These include a family doctor, family/community physicians, a pharmacy, and calling Health Link at 811 for health advice from a registered nurse 24 hours a day.”

Wait times for Alberta emergency departments, including Red Deer Regional Hospital, are posted online.