Ontario hospital shuts down ICU ahead of long weekend as staffing shortages worsen

Another Greater Toronto Area hospital is struggling under the pressure of staff and nursing shortages.

Lakeridge Health, home to several regional specialty centres and services in Durham Region, is shutting down the Bowmanville, Ont. hospital intensive care unit until it can stabilize staffing levels.

“Lakeridge Health, like many Ontario hospitals, continues to operate amidst a significant staff shortage,” a representative said. “Providing the safest care and preserving our ability to provide acute and emergency services, including critical care, remains our top priority.”

The clinic says it’s relocating the Bowmanville Hospital ICU and reducing critical care services to the Ajax-Pickering and Oshawa hospitals for the time being.

RELATED: Healthcare shortages could worsen in Toronto, nurses union says

Lakeridge Health issued a statement, saying it recognizes the impact of the temporary relocation on patients and their families and will regularly assess the situation and reopen the Bowmanville ICU when the staffing situation is under control.

“We recognize the impact of this temporary relocation on patients and their families. This decision was not made lightly,” the representative added.

“We thank our staff for their continued dedication and commitment. And we thank our community for their patience, cooperation, and understanding during this extremely challenging time.”

Lakeridge Health operates five hospitals, four emergency departments, three critical care units, a long-term care home and more than 20 community healthcare locations.

Nursing organizations call for international licensing applications to help amidst staffing shortages

Nursing organizations province-wide are calling for change to international licensing applications to help deal with the current staffing crisis.

The Ontario College of Nurses says a record of nearly 4,000 applications were processed by June — that’s double what was processed all of last year.

There is currently a backlog of tens of thousands of licensing applications from internationally-educated nurses.

An Ontario nurses union says it fears healthcare staffing shortages may worsen in the Toronto area after a hospital network in the city had to use nursing students and medical residents to backstop an emergency department over the weekend. Photo: UHN.

Toronto Western Hospital came close to shutting down its emergency rooms last weekend because of severe staffing shortages.

Cathryn Hoy, president of the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA), said it was “shocking” that the Toronto hospital had to call for backup to keep its ER open, noting that recent temporary ER closures have been largely concentrated in rural areas.

“It’s a Band-Aid. It tells me that it’s the tip of the iceberg, and we’re in trouble,” Hoy said in an interview this week.

The staffing crunch at The University Health Network (UHN) comes after smaller hospitals in Perth, Alexandria, Clinton, Listowel, and Wingham have shut their ERs for hours or even days in recent weeks, with administrators citing staff shortages.

With files from The Canadian Press