An unexpected physician illness has prompted the temporary closure of the emergency department at Delta Hospital in Ladner.
In a news release, issued by the Fraser Health Authority just before 6 p.m. on Monday night Aug, 4, Fraser Health said it is implementing a temporary service interruption beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 4 to Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 a.m.
The service interruption will begin at 7 p.m. to ensure all patients already in the emergency department can be seen by a physician before they end their shift at 1:30 a.m., said Fraser Health.
"After 7 p.m., emergency-trained nurses will continue to be on site and available to support walk-in patients needing basic care, assist with re-direction of care, and/or transfer patients with urgent needs to a neighbouring hospital," said Fraser Health. "Fraser Health is working closely with B.C. Emergency Health Services to ensure patients requiring a high-level of care are directed or transferred to an appropriate hospital emergency service.
"Anyone with a life-threatening emergency, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing or severe bleeding, should call 9-1-1 immediately and will be transported to the nearest available and appropriate facility."
Fraser Health says this service interruption impacts the Emergency Department only. All other services at Delta Hospital are available.
"All other Fraser Health Emergency Departments remain open and have emergency physicians on site; however, high numbers of people seeking care and human resources challenges at many of our hospital emergency departments may lead to longer wait times for patients with non-urgent care concerns," added Fraser Health.
To help ensure emergency departments are available for people who need emergency health care, we encourage people with non-urgent health needs to know their non-emergency care options:
Call the Fraser Health Crisis Line 24/7 at 1-877-820-7444
Call Fraser Health Virtual Care at 1-800-314-0999 to speak with a registered nurse from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.
You can also call 8-1-1 outside of those hours to speak with a health service navigator or a registered nurse.
This is now the third time in recent months that Fraser Health has had to temporarily close the ER at Delta Hospital.
A few months back, the ER was closed twice over a weekend when there was a physician shortage which resulted in a staffing issue.
Those closures prompted outrage from the community, and anger and concern from Delta council and Conservative Delta South MLA Ian Paton.
Delta council sent letters to the provincial government and Fraser Health demanding answers.
Reps from the Fraser Health Authority did appear at a council meeting to try and address concerns of council and those expressed to council by the community.
Talk of an urgent care centre for South Delta has also heated up in recent months, but the provincial government has still not committed to any funding for any urgent care centre either in North or South Delta, despite opening up urgent care centres in other parts of the province.
"This is an absolute failure of this BCNDP government and the Minister of Health Josie Osborne," said Paton in a post on his Facebook page Monday night. "Where are all the healthcare workers they have supposedly hired? Reality of what’s happening under this government is completely unacceptable. Eight years of all talk and no action."
