As much as they hope they never see it in person, residents were eager Wednesday to learn more about Flin Flon’s long-sought new emergency room.
An open house hosted by the Northern Health Region brought the unveiling of two potential layouts of the new ER as well as answers to questions around the elaborate project.
“We’re still on track,” said Helga Bryant, CEO of the NHR, noting that construction remains on schedule to begin by late summer or the fall of 2015.
Bryant was on hand at the open house, held at city hall, to help describe the two different layouts being pondered for the ER.
Pointing to schematic drawings, she explained that the first layout is a “race track” style with two corridors surrounding a central area. The second layout features a single, central hallway.
Neither layout changes the contents or capability of the ER, so it will be largely up to hospital staff to decide which design works best for them and incoming patients.
Heart of facility
The heart of the new ER will be a two-bay trauma room with an adjacent procedure room. In case of a particularly critical situation, glass doors will slide open to create a single functional treatment space between the two rooms.
Another key improvement factored into the design is the ability of ambulances to drop off patients on the ground level.
Patients at the current ER must be rolled into an elevator and pushed across the old hospital ramp en route to emergency help.
“Those few seconds can be the difference between life and death in certain situations,” said Bryant.
With the new ER, ambulance drivers will also be able to drop off patients and drive away without having to turn around or back up in a parking lot in which space is at a premium.
Bryant said the remodelled ER will include new equipment, but probably not much by way of new diagnostic equipment.
What the new ER will offer in abundance is space – about seven times as much as the present ER of nearly 2,000 square feet.
So why does the new ER have to be so much larger at a time when usage has decreased? That’s a question Bryant seems to have heard before.
“The space is driven more by the type of programming we’re putting in here,” she said. “The space is not necessarily driven by the number of visits.”
Bryant said the new ER won’t require additional doctors, as the existing ER is sufficiently staffed.
“This is about providing very specifically built space to let those people do their work better and to provide a more comfortable, sensitive, confidential setting for patients to get their care,” she said.
The NHR will host another open house to discuss the ER at a future date to be determined.
At last estimate, the ER was to cost $22 million, of which 10 per cent – $2.2 million – must come from regional fundraising.
Recommendations heeded
As the public learned more about plans for Flin Flon’s new ER on Wednesday, the Northern Health Region was learning how to improve the existing emergency departments in Flin Flon and The Pas.
An independent review of those departments has resulted in 31 recommendations for change. It was part of a broad review of the now-defunct NOR-MAN Regional Health Authority ordered by the provincial government in 2011.
The Reminder expected to receive a copy of the resultant report today. The Northern Health Region, which includes the former NOR-MAN RHA, said work is underway to implement all of the recommendations.
“This review has its roots in the review of the former NOR-MAN RHA and became even more necessary as a result of the concerns of the community and our own staff,” said Helga Bryant, CEO of the NHR, in a news release. “Part of its purpose was to create a roadmap for change that would ensure the highest quality emergency department services for the people we serve.”
Added Bryant: “I am committed to adopting all of the recommendations and in fact work is well underway making the improvements identified in the report without delay to help ensure safe, competent care for our patients.”
The review was conducted by emergency physician Dr Ted Kesselman and emergency nurse Lori Ulrich. In addition to chart reviews and interviews with doctors, nurses and allied health staff, 544 residents of the Flin Flon and The Pas areas completed online surveys that were shared with the reviewers.
Among the 31 recommendations, as summarized by the NHR in a news release:
• New emergency department physicians should receive sufficient orientation, support, mentoring and evaluation.
• Increase physician knowledge of resources and expertise available in Flin Flon and The Pas.
• Continue plans to hire nurse practitioners in Flin Flon and The Pas.
• Establish a formal orientation for all new emergency department staff and physicians in both Flin Flon and The Pas. Outline expectations related to teamwork, communication, collaboration, respect and accountability.
• Establish a plan for after-hours and vacation coverage for appropriate allied health members such that a timely response by these services is ensured.
• Conduct training and outline expectations for all staff and physicians working in the emergency department on patient/family-centered care.
• Review staffing models that directly or indirectly impact the emergency department. Ensure staffing is sufficient to support safe patient care.
• Conduct regular staff satisfaction and engagement surveys and patient satisfaction surveys.
• Implement mandatory Aboriginal cultural awareness education for all emergency department staff and physicians.
• Review issues associated with patient flow and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Ensure standardized equipment is available on all code blue carts and in all emergency departments.
• Conduct regular chart audits and reinforce and monitor the use of care maps.
Explore the expanded use of pediatric protocols.
• Reinforce the need for discharge teaching, and access interpreter services as required.
• Hiring practices for emergency department physicians should result in safe, knowledgeable and professional practitioners.
• Advocate for a balanced remuneration model between emergency department and primary care medical practice.
• Ensure all emergency department team members are appropriately represented in discussions and decisions involving clinical care.
• Increase regional educator resources to help address emergency department educational needs.
• Use technology to support emergency department education.
