Niagara Health surgical program temporarily ramping down to 70 per cent capacity

Niagara Health says its surgical program is temporarily ramping down to 70 per cent capacity because of an increase in COVID-19 patients.

It says it is experiencing growing pressures with patient volumes and staff and physician illnesses.

The system says it has been working to catch up on surgical backlog created during earlier waves.

“It is very unfortunate that we must ramp down surgeries again, knowing how important it is for patients to receive safe, quality surgical care on a timely basis. However, the ramp down is a necessary measure given the urgent need to address the current and anticipated pressures from this sixth wave,” said Niagara Health in a media release.

Niagara Health is encouraging patients to consider their healthcare options before visiting the hospital for non-emergency concerns.

“We will use the same decision-making framework that we have used in previous waves to assess each case, understanding that emergency, urgent and oncology patient surgeries will take priority,” says Linda Boich, Executive Vice President, Quality, and Mental Health and Addictions and Executive Lead for Integrated Care, in a statement. “Surgeons and the scheduling office will reach out directly to patients who are impacted by surgical postponements to rebook the procedures at the earliest opportunity. We recognize the challenges this places on patients and families and apologize for the inconvenience and stress this may cause.”