Cambridge Memorial Hospital is ending the week a little better than it started.
Plagued by staffing shortages that are impacting healthcare facilities across the province, CMH was forced to postpone eight surgeries earlier this week. And on Tuesday, the hospital had 22 patients in the emergency department waiting to be admitted—it's highest-ever backlog.
But Stephan Beckhoff, a hospital spokesperson, said Friday that the situation has slowly improved. For now, at least, all surgeries are back on schedule.
"The pressures from Tuesday have lessened and the number of admitted patients being held in the Emergency Department has shrunk," Beckhoff told CambridgeToday.
On Wednesday, he said, there were 13 patients in Emergency waiting to be admitted to the hospital. By Thursday, that number had dropped to eight.
"This is helping with the flow," Beckhoff said. "The E.D. continues to be short-staffed, so wait times can still be elevated for some people."
As of Thursday, CMH had 26 staff off work due to COVID, up from 20 on Tuesday.
Beckhoff also said the wait-time clock posted on CMH's website is still not accurate, making it difficult to gauge how long a person will wait if they come to the hospital.
If possible, CMH is urging people to seek care at a walk-in clinic or their family doctor. Although people can still come to the hospital emergency room, "they might wait a long time," Beckhoff says.
"The wait times for those that seek care for ailments that are triaged as minor are the ones who might wait longer," he says.
