Renovations and expansion to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s (QEH) day surgery department and related support services will reduce wait times for day surgeries and lay the foundation for better access to elective surgeries, says Health and Wellness Minister Doug Currie.
“The QEH sees approximately 1,180 patients through its doors every day. As Minister of Health and Wellness, I am very pleased with the progress taking place at the QEH and how renovations to our province’s largest hospital are improving the health care services it provides to all Islanders,” said Minister Currie. “This expansion of the hospital’s surgical services will foster better continuity of care and shorter wait times.”
As the third and final part of Phase I of the QEH Redevelopment project, renovations and expansions to the hospital’s Pre-Surgery Clinic, Day Surgery Department, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and Ophthalmology Surgical Suite is now underway.
Current physical space does not allow the hospital to adequately meet the growing demand for day surgery services, which includes pre-surgery consults and teachings, and subsequent patient flow challenges due to limited bed capacity. In recent years, day surgeries at the QEH increased by over 10 per cent, with approximately 100 additional day surgeries every year.
This is the first renovation to our surgery department and its adjacent support services since the hospital first opened 30 years ago,” said QEH Executive Director Rick Adams. “Once renovations are complete, our staff will not only have the space they need to care for patients before, during and after day surgery, they will be able to do so in an environment with enhanced privacy and infection control measures, ensuring our patients receive the safest care possible.”
Combined, the existing Pre-Surgery Clinic, Day Surgery, PACU and Ophthalmology Surgical Suite are approximately 6,000 square feet. With their expansion, these services will have a new footprint of approximately 21,000 square feet. The additional space will be acquired by expanding services into the hospital’s old emergency department which is being renovated as part of the project.
“As the health care of Islanders evolves, we too must continue to evolve to ensure we are delivering services that are patient-focused, safe, offered in a timely manner, and in facilities that meet today’s standards,” said Minister Currie. “This portion of the QEH Redevelopment project will also help lay the foundation for improving access to elective surgical services such as hip, knee, and other joint replacement surgeries.”
Renovations and expansion of the Pre-Surgery Clinic, Day Surgery, PACU and Ophthalmology Suite are expected to be complete by the spring of 2014.
BACKGROUNDER:
The renovated spaces will feature:
• Additional consultation rooms in the Pre-Surgery Clinic will allow for more anesthesia assessments, pre-rehabilitation consults and other pre-surgical consults and teachings.
• Additional patient care spaces in Day Surgery will improve timely access to the service and allow for improved continuity of care as post-operative patient recovery will take place within the Day Surgery Department as opposed to the current practice of post-operative patient transfers to the surgical nursing unit.
• Increased number of patient care bays in PACU from 10 to 18 will ensure efficient transitioning of elective and emergency surgery patients from the operating room to the recovery area post-surgery minimizing delays in the operating room due to patient congesting in PACU.
• A new post-operative caesarian-section patient care bay will be designed to ensure appropriate privacy allowing new mothers to spend time with their baby and partner right after birth, which has been demonstrated to be important for bonding and breastfeeding.
• A separate and dedicated Ophthalmology Surgical Suite will allow timely access to cataract surgery and reduce overall wait times.
• Enhanced infection prevention and control measures such as increased number of isolation rooms and availability of washrooms will reduce the risk of cross-infection of diseases such as superbugs.