Charlottetown's Queen Elizabeth Hospital will close more acute care beds than normal over the Christmas holidays, which could mean longer emergency waits and ambulance diversions.
The hospital is short of nurses over the holidays, said director Rob Philpott.
(CBC)
Starting Friday, 41 beds will close, seven more beds than last year. The closures will remain in effect until Jan. 4.
Hospital executive director Rob Philpott said the extra bed closures are necessary because of a shortage of nursing staff.
"We do know that situations such as a surge in demand may require that we may have to divert ambulances [to other hospitals] at any point," said Philpott.
"We do monitor the situation on a daily basis," he said. "We do assess our available bed capacity, … what staff are available, and we work as best we can to try to manage it internally before we decide whether diversion is necessary."
If there are surges in demand, the hospital may be able to reopen some of the beds, Philpott said. He warned that the bed closures will probably result in longer waits at the hospital's emergency department over the holidays.
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