141,961 B.C. ER patients left without treatment in 2024: report

A record number of British Columbians visiting emergency rooms end up leaving before they’re seen by a medical professional.

The B.C. Conservatives shared “devastating new figures” received through a Freedom of Information request to the Ministry of Health.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!

Nearly 142,000 British Columbians left ERs in the last year without being seen, the party reports — an 86 per cent increase since 2018.

The situation is worse on Vancouver Island, where the number has increased 160 per cent in the last six years.

Earlier this month, the province touted its efforts to recruit doctors and health-care workers from other countries, especially the U.S., to help address shortages.

“We are working hard to strengthen not only acute care, but also primary care, by bringing new doctors and nurse practitioners into the province through fair pay, better conditions, and faster credential recognition, and retaining and training more health care workers here in B.C.,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement to 1130 NewsRadio.

Conservative MLA expects number to be worse next year

Acting as the critic for rural health, MLA Brennan Day says the governing party’s efforts obviously aren’t working.

“I suspect these numbers will be worse next year, and the Health Authority needs to pay far more attention to this issue, because it’s collapsing primary care in the province,” said Day.

Day says just because patients aren’t being seen immediately in an ER after they’ve been triaged, it doesn’t mean that they don’t still need medical attention.

“They don’t wait around twelve hours, but they may need to be seen. Especially if they’re presenting with cardiac symptoms or potential fractures. There’s a lot of people that aren’t getting diagnosed and cleared properly through the system right now because ERs are so backed up,” he said.

He says the issue has been caused, in part, by a decrease in walk-in clinics in B.C. operating as walk-ins — instead requiring patients to book an appointment, and in many cases, not taking new patients.

Day explains that’s because the province opened up a “longitudinal model” for family doctors rather than a fee-for-service model — something lauded by doctors in B.C., but something he says it’s still impacting British Columbians’ ability to have their concerns assessed.

“Because we have a [general practictioner] shortage and physician shortage in general in British Columbia, they’re not seeing enough patients. It’s a simple matter of time and resource allocation, and unfortunately, we’re falling further behind.”

The Ministry of Health responds to the new report, emphasizing that ERs across the province never send patients home.

ERs follow Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS)

“Patients are never turned away from the emergency department (ED),” said the Ministry of Health.

“If a person feels they no longer need to wait, they should let the triage nurse know that they are leaving,” the statement read.

“Health-care staff will reassess their condition and confirm whether they are okay to go (i.e., if someone has chest pain, they generally would be suggested not to leave).”

The ministry explains that ERs are sticking to the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS), which ensures that the sickest people are coming first.

“When patients first arrive at the ED, they are triaged and seen based on acuity. The sickest patients are always seen first,” the statement read.

“If a person’s condition changes while they are in the waiting room, we recommend they tell the triage nurse immediately, and they may be reprioritized.”

The ministry acknowledges that long waits can be challenging for patients.

“This is why, in November 2023, the Ministry of Health increased the number of provincially funded acute care beds from 9,202 to 9,929 beds (7.9% increase),” the ministry said.

The Conservatives say the province urgently needs to come up with a strategy to fight overcrowding, severe staffing shortages, and long wait times in the province’s ERs.

The party is also calling for investments, regional oversight measures, and an audit of ER capacity, staffing, and wait-time transparency.