GUELPH – Wellington County’s paramedics are getting the funding they need to ensure there is a nurse to help offload patients when they arrive at Guelph General Hospital.
On Aug. 28, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae announced the City of Guelph – which administers ambulatory services for Wellington County – will receive $13.8 million through the province’s Land Ambulance Service Grant (LASG), and a further $306,455 through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program (DONP).
“It’s the money that we had hoped for,” said Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Service Chief Stephen Dewar.
He noted the land ambulance grant is annual funding the city receives to pay for ambulance services. The DONP is an additional program the city applies for annually to pay for a nurse to care for patients when they arrive at the hospital.
“The Ministry of Health funds a nurse through us,” Dewar explained.
“That nurse is responsible for taking care of patients that would otherwise be in offload delay.”
Offload delays happen when patients are taken to hospital by paramedics but can’t immediately be transferred into hospital care. They may happen due to things like congestion in emergency departments or staffing shortages.
Dewar said the $306,455 in funding Rae had announced is money the city had applied for, but he had not yet been told the application was successful. He was pleased by the news.
The money will go to ensuring there is one person on staff at Guelph General, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, dedicated to patients who would otherwise be in offload delay, he said.
This frees up paramedics that would otherwise have to remain at the hospital with patients.
The dedicated offload nurse is one of a few strategies employed to deal with offload delays, Dewar said.
“The hospital has done a lot of work with us to improve the flow of patients,” he said. “Offload delays have been significantly reduced since the peak in 2022.”
According to a news release from Rae’s office, provincial ambulance offload time has been reduced by more than 50 per cent since its peak in October 2022.
“Our rural communities rely on our first responders to provide timely and high-quality care,” Rae stated in the release. “Our provincial government will continue to support our first responders to ensure they have the resources they need to help save lives.”
Rae also announced more than $8.3 million in land ambulance funding for Perth County – $8,197,173 from the LASG, and $109,200 through the DONP.
The LASG funding represents an eight per cent increase year-over-year, the release stated.
