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CTV News
6 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Hospital patients to get temporary priority for long-term care in N.B.
For the next month, hospital patients waiting for a long-term care bed in New Brunswick will move to the top of the waitlist as Horizon Health Network tries to ease overcrowding at four of its regional hospitals. On Wednesday. New Brunswick's Minister of Social Development Cindy Miles approved a request Horizon Health Network made the day before to temporarily grant Horizon 'critical state admission prioritization status' at its hospitals in Fredericton, Saint John, Miramichi and Hartland. The protocol allows the health network to prioritize patients who no longer need acute care but are still in hospital — known as Alternative Level of Care (ALC) patients — and place them into long-term care once a bed is freed up. 'We do have beds available across the province,' Miles told reporters. 'The folks that are in hospital now are going to be prioritized for those beds.' Miles says the next step is making sure they don't end up in that same position. 'We want to give everyone the opportunity to be able to stay home as long as they can and not be waiting in hospital.' Horizon's hospitals in Fredericton, Saint John, Miramichi and Hartland have been operating above capacity and hospitals have been treating a record level of ALC patients at 40 per cent of its acute care beds. Horizon Health Network President and CEO Margaret Melanson said as of Wednesday, the number of ALC patients had dropped to 658 patients — down slightly from the record 667 from last week, but was still extremely high. That this is happening in July, and not when numbers typically peak, is also problematic, as hospitals need to have adequate beds in place for the upcoming flu season. 'Of these 658 patients, 368 could be discharged today if a long-term care bed were available,' said Melanson. 'This was not a decision we made lightly. However, it became clear that urgent action was required.' While the target is to see patients admitted to emergency departments moved to a bed within eight hours, Melanson says that currently, it's happening after an average of close to 20 hours. She says other patient units are overcapacity with patients in hallways, dining areas and other nontraditional spaces, calling it 'absolutely inadequate.' 'Some do not have a washroom facility,' she said. 'The patient would need to be taken to another location, and it is simply not the type of care or quality of care that is, I would say, ideal for any patient and have.' The provincial government approved a similar request from Horizon in January 2024. Back then, Melanson says Horizon was able to discharge 23 patients in Saint John and 52 in Fredericton. At the time, a new long-term care home had just opened in Fredericton, allowing the placement of more patients. Melanson says while it's difficult to say how many patients may be placed in long-term care this time, she is hopeful the numbers seen last time in Saint John — 23 patients — could be mirrored, with fewer patients in the Miramichi and Upper River Valley area. According to the province, nursing home admissions are normally done chronologically. However, during critical circumstances, the minister can, when requested by a regional health authority, prioritize admission of ALC patients waiting in hospital. When asked what the government's measure of success is in 30 days time, Miles said the measurement is going to be acute care. 'Our hospitals able to deliver the acute care that they need to be able to deliver,' Miles said. 'That's going to take some very, very collaborative ongoing conversations.' Families who understand the long wait In May 2023, Shelley Poirier's father, now 100-years-old, had a heart attack. He waited 17 months in a hospital until he was placed in a long-term care home. She said at first, her dad was okay being in hospital, but eventually it became difficult. 'We watched his mental health decline, too, right? He started to get … quite depressed,' she said. 'After such a long wait, he started to believe it was never going to happen.' According to the province, there are currently 1,093 people on the wait list for a long-term care bed in New Brunswick, with 483 people waiting in hospital. Poirier believes it's scary that the situation isn't getting any better, saying the focus shouldn't just be on hospitals and nursing homes, but the whole system. She estimates it took her father between five to six months to be assessed, noting how a neighbour is currently in hospital and finds himself in the same situation: waiting to be assessed. 'It's not just about the nursing homes and the hospitals — it's about the whole system,' she said. 'If we get more beds, where are the staff coming from?' Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick's child, youth and seniors' advocate, says the problem has been foreseeable for a while and likened the problem to a financial deficit that governments have left for the next one. 'A growing number of patients are in acute care when they really need long-term care, and it's hurting those patients,' Lamrock said. 'It's destabilizing the urgent care system and putting everybody at risk. It is going to require some drastic action.' In March 2024, Lamrock released a report investigating senior care in New Brunswick. It outlined why an overhaul is needed to ensure the safety and viability of the province's long-term care system, warning if urgent action isn't taken, the cost to people's health and the bottom line would continue to spiral. Lamrock says there are things government can do. If they're trying to find placements, they need to make short-term investments to make patients' lives better. 'Making sure families have the financial capacity to visit often, making sure that you are providing short-term help for special care homes and others who might be able to take on different levels of care, if they were properly funded,' he said. Lamrock said there's also a need to empower frontline social workers treating people in home care. 'Even if the formula says this person makes too much money or this is too expensive, ask yourself: if we don't make the home a place a person can stay, what does that cost, versus somebody showing up at the acute care or urgent care hospital?' With Files from CTV's Laura Brown
CTV News
6 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
N.B. fast-tracking nursing home placements as hospitals struggle with overcrowding
Premier of New Brunswick Susan Holt speaks to media following the first ministers meeting in Saskatoon, Sask., Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards FREDERICTON — New Brunswick's premier is blaming a lack of long-term care space for serious overcrowding at four regional hospitals, as her government tries to fast-track patients out of those facilities and into nursing homes. Susan Holt said Thursday that hospitals are struggling as they take on patients who should be in long-term care. 'This isn't a surprise I think to New Brunswickers or to our government since we have seen over many years the challenges that hospitals have faced,' Holt told reporters during her monthly address in Fredericton. Holt's comments come in response to a request on Tuesday by the Horizon Health Network for the urgent transfer of patients in four hospitals to nursing homes. In a news release, Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson said more than 650 patients no longer require acute care in hospital but aren't healthy enough to be discharged. Calling the situation 'unsustainable,' Melanson said the number of patients across New Brunswick waiting for transfer to a long-term care facility is the highest on record. 'If enough long-term care beds were available in our communities today, we would be able to immediately discharge 360 of these patients,' she said. 'Roughly 40 per cent of all our acute-care beds are currently occupied by patients who have no medical reason to be in hospital.' Melanson called her request to the provincial government a 'measure of last resort.' In response, Social Development Minister Cindy Miles agreed on Wednesday to open a 30-day window for patients at four hospitals to jump the provincial nursing home wait-list and be fast-tracked into long-term care. The hospitals are the Saint John Regional Hospital, the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, the Upper River Valley Hospital in Hartland and the Miramichi Regional Hospital. Melanson told reporters on Wednesday that it's not clear how many hospital beds would be liberated over the next month by the government's move to prioritize some patients. 'It's difficult to say exactly how many because it depends on beds becoming available in these long-term care homes,' she said. 'Often they become available unfortunately when a patient passes away.' New Brunswick has 78 licensed nursing homes with 5,373 beds, along with 431 adult residential facilities offering care to about 7,600 residents. In 2018, the province launched a project to open 640 new nursing home beds; so far 460 have been created, and space for another 180 is under construction. Holt said that since her party was elected in October, the government has been working to bolster the long-term care sector and expand options such as home care to relieve pressure on the health system. 'The ideal situation is that people not find themselves in the hospital in the first place because they can get the care they need at home,' Holt said. 'We have been working … to get the right system and supports in place.' The premier said the number of seniors in the province waiting for care support at the beginning of the year was around 1,068. 'But as Horizon's call for crisis protocols reveals, there are more and more people in hospital right now waiting for the supports to return home or the ability to receive care in a long-term care facility,' she said. Holt said population growth in recent years has resulted in the number of people requiring care growing at a rate that outstrips the number of long-term care beds available. 'We are well behind the 8-ball and trying to play catch up,' the premier said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025. — By Keith Doucette in Halifax
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
N.B. fast-tracking nursing home placements as hospitals struggle with overcrowding
FREDERICTON – New Brunswick's premier is blaming a lack of long-term care space for serious overcrowding at four regional hospitals, as her government tries to fast-track patients out of those facilities and into nursing homes. Susan Holt said Thursday that hospitals are struggling as they take on patients who should be in long-term care. 'This isn't a surprise I think to New Brunswickers or to our government since we have seen over many years the challenges that hospitals have faced,' Holt told reporters during her monthly address in Fredericton. Holt's comments come in response to a request on Tuesday by the Horizon Health Network for the urgent transfer of patients in four hospitals to nursing homes. In a news release, Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson said more than 650 patients no longer require acute care in hospital but aren't healthy enough to be discharged. Calling the situation 'unsustainable,' Melanson said the number of patients across New Brunswick waiting for transfer to a long-term care facility is the highest on record. 'If enough long-term care beds were available in our communities today, we would be able to immediately discharge 360 of these patients,' she said. 'Roughly 40 per cent of all our acute-care beds are currently occupied by patients who have no medical reason to be in hospital.' Melanson called her request to the provincial government a 'measure of last resort.' In response, Social Development Minister Cindy Miles agreed on Wednesday to open a 30-day window for patients at four hospitals to jump the provincial nursing home wait-list and be fast-tracked into long-term care. The hospitals are the Saint John Regional Hospital, the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, the Upper River Valley Hospital in Hartland and the Miramichi Regional Hospital. Melanson told reporters on Wednesday that it's not clear how many hospital beds would be liberated over the next month by the government's move to prioritize some patients. 'It's difficult to say exactly how many because it depends on beds becoming available in these long-term care homes,' she said. 'Often they become available unfortunately when a patient passes away.' New Brunswick has 78 licensed nursing homes with 5,373 beds, along with 431 adult residential facilities offering care to about 7,600 residents. In 2018, the province launched a project to open 640 new nursing home beds; so far 460 have been created, and space for another 180 is under construction. Holt said that since her party was elected in October, the government has been working to bolster the long-term care sector and expand options such as home care to relieve pressure on the health system. 'The ideal situation is that people not find themselves in the hospital in the first place because they can get the care they need at home,' Holt said. 'We have been working … to get the right system and supports in place.' The premier said the number of seniors in the province waiting for care support at the beginning of the year was around 1,068. 'But as Horizon's call for crisis protocols reveals, there are more and more people in hospital right now waiting for the supports to return home or the ability to receive care in a long-term care facility,' she said. Holt said population growth in recent years has resulted in the number of people requiring care growing at a rate that outstrips the number of long-term care beds available. 'We are well behind the 8-ball and trying to play catch up,' the premier said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025. — By Keith Doucette in Halifax
CTV News
16-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
N.B. grants Horizon Health 30 days for nursing home placement prioritization
New Brunswick's Department of Social Development has granted Horizon Health Network 'critical state admission prioritization status.' The move means patients with no medical need for care at four regional hospitals will be bumped to the top of the list for long-term care beds for the next 30 days. Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton, the Saint John Regional Hospital, the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville, and the Miramichi Regional Hospital will be bumped up to the top of the wait list for available beds in long-term care (LTC). According to Horizon, there are over 650 patients at their hospitals who do not need acute care but cannot be discharged as they are waiting for beds elsewhere. If more beds were readily available, the health agency says more then half of those patients would immediately be out the door. Around 40 per cent of acute care beds in Horizon facilities are take by people who have no medical reason to still be at the hospital. 'We do not want anyone to think that they are not a priority,' Social Development Minister Cindy Miles told reporters Wednesday. 'We will do all we can to support this process and moving forward as quickly as we can in the areas that we've identified, and the folks in community, we will do all we can to make sure that you're getting the support and the services that you need.' According to Social Development, nursing home admissions are normally done chronologically. Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Horizon Health Network President and CEO Margaret Melanson was pleased to hear the request was granted in a timely matter. After the initial 30 days, she says the need for prioritization status will be evaluated. 'This number is occurring in July, when we would typically see numbers peak more traditionally during the fall period,' Melanson notes. 'Therefore, in order to prepare adequately for bed availability during a flu season, for example, we needed to act now with this particular emergency order to ensure that we would have hopefully some bed capacity in planning for the fall period.' Melanson is hopeful to move around 20 people out of both the Saint John and Fredericton Hospitals, and a little less for the other two centres. The goal would still leave hundreds waiting in hospital, but officials note there are just not enough LTC beds available. To solve the issue long-term, Melanson says she will continue to collaborate with both social development and the health department. 'When we have admitted patients who are needing to be cared for in a hallway, a dining room and other nontraditional spaces, I believe we can all agree that this is not high quality care.' Speaking to CTV Atlantic ahead of the province decision, New Brunswick Nurses Union President Paula Doucet was pleased to see Horizon make the request. She says nurses are continuing to battle working in overcrowded conditions and having to treat patients outside of a typical hospital room. Doucet adds whatever decision is made to address the issue long term, all parties need to be at the table. 'It's really difficult to come up with an answer that's going to solve every problem, especially when we're in a crisis,' she says. 'But obviously involving the input from the frontline staff, multiple stakeholders and all of those different departments, I think will go a long way.' For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Horizon Health seeks permission to discharge some patients from 4 N.B. hospitals
Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville, N.B., is pictured in this undated image. (Source: Horizon Health Network) The Horizon Health Network is asking the New Brunswick government for 'critical state admission prioritization status' for patients who no longer need acute care from four regional hospitals. Horizon says the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, the Saint John Regional Hospital, the Miramichi Regional Hospital and the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville are all 'experiencing chronic overcapacity' due to high levels of Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients waiting for services. The health network is asking for the ability to give those patients priority to all available community-based beds in longterm care facilities. 'This is not a request we make lightly, however, despite the great effort by staff and physicians to care for all inpatients, the current situation across our hospital system is unsustainable,' a Horizon news release says. Horizon says they currently have more than 650 patients who no longer need acute care but cannot be safely discharged as they are waiting for placement in facilities such as nursing homes. The health network says roughly 40 per cent of their acute care beds are occupied by patients who do not have a medical reason to still be in hospital. 'This is the highest number of ALC patients our hospital system has ever seen,' the release says. 'This level of pressure has a profound impact on our entire health care system. 'It means fewer beds for patients who need surgery. It causes emergency department wait times to grow longer. It forces care to be delivered in hallways, dining areas, lounges, and other makeshift spaces.' Upper River Valley Hospital Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville, N.B., is pictured in this undated image. (Source: Horizon Health Network) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
