Hamilton Paramedic Service implementing measures in response to current emergency department pressures

HAMILTON, ON – Hamilton Paramedic Service (HPS) is implementing a temporary medical directive to assist with the increasing added pressures the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on hospital emergency departments.

The new temporary medical directive will enable paramedics to assess low acuity (stable) suspected COVID-19 patients and provide them guidance, resources and referrals to alternative means of care in the comfort of their home. Patients who can be safely and appropriately treated in the home, rather than being transported to the hospital will be encouraged to access alternative community resources such as urgent care centres, COVID-19 assessment centres or walk-in clinics.

The new directive was developed in collaboration with the Hamilton Health Sciences – Centre for Paramedic Education and Research (CPER) and its Medical Director Paul Miller, and was approved by the City of Hamilton’s Emergency Operations Centre. Regular assessment of the directive and its impact on the healthcare system will be ongoing and remain in place until it is no longer needed.

This measure comes during a rapid surge of cases related to the highly-transmissible Omicron variant, both locally and across the country, and aims to alleviate pressures on the healthcare system by reducing non-critical transports to emergency departments, enabling more resources to be available to treat and respond to life-threatening and critical emergencies.

Timing is critical in a medical emergency and calling 9-1-1 only for life-threatening emergencies will ensure paramedics will be available when you need them most. Residents are encouraged to “Make the Right Call” by only calling an ambulance in an emergency situation, and to seek other health services for less urgent needs. 

The seven-day rolling average of patients assessed using provincial criteria as “suspect COVID-19” by Hamilton paramedics is 44. Based on the approved criteria in the medical directive, it is anticipated that approximately four to eight patients per day may be successfully and safely diverted away from the emergency department.