Hamilton Health Sciences facing the most significant staffing shortages since the pandemic started

Hamilton Health Sciences, which includes McMaster Children’s Hospital, the General, and Juravinski say it’s facing the most significant staffing shortages since the pandemic started.

In a tweet, HHS says all their sites are facing significant staffing shortages, bed occupancy is at 110% and major surgeries and procedures are getting postponed.

THREAD🧵: We are facing the most significant capacity pressures we’ve experienced since the pandemic began. Units across all of our sites are straining as a result of significant staff shortages. Here are some of the things we are struggling with. 1/11

— Hamilton Health Sciences (@HamHealthSci) April 28, 2022

CHCH News spoke with some nurses at the Hamilton General and they tell us they are burnt out. Nurses say everyone is tired, lots of people are calling in sick, and some are quitting.

Nurses at the Hamilton General told CHCH News that last year it was one nurse to every three patients, right now they say it’s one nurse to every 7 patients.

The staffing shortages at the hospitals are also impacting the supply of ambulances in the city because paramedics have to wait with patients at the hospital until they receive care.

Hamilton Health Sciences say they are doing their best to protect the workforce and ensure patients get the care they need but that patients visiting the emergency room should be prepared for longer wait times.

Many hospitals in the GTHA are facing the same staffing shortages.