This is a first — hospitals across the South West LHIN are joining together in a new integration project aimed at quick patient transfers and hospital admittances.
This will eliminate or reduce the waiting time for critically ill and emergency patients that need to be admitted to larger health care centres like the London Hospital.
In order to do this — all hospitals within the South West LHIN are adopting a uniform protocol and patient transfer record; thus eliminating a lot of red tape and paper work.
When a patient requires specialized treatment and needs to go to a larger health centre, doctors will no longer have to call hospitals to find an available bed.
Under the new program the doctor will only have to make one call to a central number where everything will be arranged.
It’s believed this approach will save doctors and patients valuable time.
Hanover Hospital Vice President of Patient Care Reta Sproule says this will eliminate doctor frustration over patient transfers.
Under the new system — regardless of whether there is a bed ready or not — all critically ill patients will be immediately transferred to larger hospitals.
Emergency patients are guaranteed a transfer within four to 24 hours and urgent patients within 24 to 48 hours.
