December 21, 2022
LHSC is pleased to launch our new web-based information service for individuals seeking care at the adult Emergency Departments at Victoria Hospital and University Hospital and our Children’s Hospital Emergency Department (also located at Victoria Hospital). Our new Emergency Department Wait Times webpage for Victoria and University provides real-time estimates of the time in hours an individual may have to wait to see a physician, from the time they are assessed by a triage nurse until they are seen by a doctor. Children’s Hospital Emergency Department will have its own wait times webpage with information tailored to children and youth and their parents and caregivers.
“The new webpages are a welcome addition to our Emergency Department toolbox, and I am pleased we were able to launch it in a very short time. We understand it’s not the sole solution to the wait times issues we and other hospitals face right now but it will give us valuable insight into how we can improve,” said Jackie Schleifer Taylor, President and CEO. “We are continuously finding ways to be open and transparent with the public about how LHSC delivers healthcare.”
The purpose of the new webpages is to give potential patients and their families, the community at large, caregivers, referring agencies and partners, among others, valuable information that will help them prepare for their or their patient’s visit.
Knowing how short or how long the wait may be will help patients and caregivers know, for instance, what medications to bring, whether or not they need to bring a phone charger or items for personal health and hygiene, or if they need to make arrangements at school, day-care or places of employment.
Over the coming weeks, the webpages will also include important information about how we manage our Emergency Departments and how we prioritize emergency health issues. This information will help the public understand why they may be waiting longer than usual to be seen.