Latest news with #waitingtimes
CBC
4 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Heart attack patient waits 13 hours in Moncton Hospital ER
Jonah Imeson says he'd heard plenty of stories about people waiting for hours in New Brunswick's emergency rooms and even dying before being seen by a physician, but then he had his own scare and he's still shaken. The 35-year-old graphic designer, with Type 2 diabetes, said he waited 13 hours at the Moncton Hospital ER with chest discomfort, arm pain, nausea, high blood pressure and a sensation like heartburn before he was seen by a doctor, who told him he'd likely had a heart attack and could have died. Imeson's story puts a face to the untold number of patients in New Brunswick who wait far too long in a hospital system that has openly declared a critical state of over-capacity. And although the Moncton Hospital has been left out of a new protocol demanding some hospital patients be fast-tracked into nursing homes — to help free up beds, including those in ERs — Horizon's dashboard paints a troubling picture. It shows wait times in the Moncton Hospital ER, from triage to assessment by a physician, reached 400 minutes (6.6 hours) in June — the highest since April 2022 and well above the national target of 30. That makes Imeson a remarkable outlier in a system already under-performing by a significant margin. From 3 p.m. on June 4 until 4 a.m. the next day, he waited in a room so full, he lost his seat a few times after getting up to vomit and when he went to call his mother. "You always hear stories, then it actually happens to you," he said of his ER experience. Time-stamped text messages tell wait-time story Imeson was able to reconstruct it from the text messages he sent home to his wife and to his parents in Oromocto. He didn't ask them to come to the hospital, he said, because he was concerned about his wife, who had to work the next day, and didn't want to trouble his mother or father. The experience began at 1 p.m., when he was scheduled to see his dietitian on the hospital campus. He reported chest discomfort and a numb sensation in his arm. The dietitian took his blood pressure, and when she got a reading of 210/119, she walked him to the ER herself. At the triage station, Imeson reported that his own father had had a heart attack at 49 and that diabetes ran in the family. Imeson was registered shortly after 3 p.m., then sat down to wait. WATCH | Why a Moncton man fears going to the hospital again: "While I was there, I started sweating profusely," he said. "I had to go to the bathroom a few times and vomit." As the hours ticked by, Imeson updated his mother by text: 4:11 p.m."168 over 107 pulse is 95." 5:13 p.m."151 over 92. They gave me some Tylenol" 6:44 p.m."147 over 78 pulse is 76 I just had to run and throw up again." 7:48 p.m. "148/78 pulse is 76. This heartburn feeling is weird." 9:05 p.m."153 over 12 pulse 97 *112" 11:11 p.m. "160 over 94 pulse 90. room's filled" As midnight approached, Imeson thought about leaving the hospital, walking down the street and calling an ambulance. "To see if that might rush me in more," he said. "I guess a part of me never would have done that, but it definitely crossed my mind." His mother texted him encouragement, told him to stay and that a doctor would likely see him soon. Shortly after 4 a.m., Imeson saw a physician and was given an electrocardiogram. It was the first time he heard from a doctor that he might have had a heart attack. More tests ensued. "They did the ultrasound and they had mentioned that it appears the bottom section of my heart was damaged." On June 6, Imeson was sent by ambulance to the heart centre at the Saint John Regional Hospital, where he underwent more examinations. "When I went to Saint John and they did the ink dye test, it became more apparent what the situation was with that blocked artery. So that's why … it appeared damaged, because that artery was blocked." Later that day, an ambulance returned Imeson to the Moncton Hospital, and he was discharged June 8. On Monday, June 16, he returned to work, while taking medication. Once he had his "foot in the door" and could speak to doctors, he said, his care was excellent. Cardiologists say heart attacks need immediate attention CBC News contacted Dr. Zeeshan Ahmed, a cardiologist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa, for a better understanding of what happens when a heart attack occurs. He was not asked to diagnose Imeson or comment on his care. Ahmed said heart attacks are caused by the gradual buildup of plaque in the artery and the sudden rupture of that plaque, which then blocks the artery. "And when that specific artery becomes blocked, the portion of the heart muscle it's supplying will have a lack of blood supply, and as a consequence those muscles will start to die," he said. Ideally, patients presenting with heart attack symptoms would receive an electrocardiogram test within 15 minutes of arrival at the hospital. "Someone presents with chest pain, immediately, an ECG within 10 to 15 minutes, and then the physician has to read it," Ahmed said. An ECG is a simple test, where a lead is attached to the patient's chest and the doctor looks at the electricity the heart generates, which helps a diagnosis. Ahmed said chest pain happens when the artery is partially blocked or blocked completely, and it's important for patients who do feel severe chest pain to get medical attention as soon as possible. "The longer they wait, the heart muscle that is not being supplied by blood will eventually die," he said. "And as it dies, it will start to scar." "I urge people to come to the hospital. Don't sit on the symptoms. Don't delay, especially if there are risk factors like a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or a history of smoking." Ahmed said symptoms include a sensation of chest tightness or discomfort, a feeling the pain or tightness is travelling down one arm or both arms or up to the jaw. Patients may also have sudden sweating or shortness of breath. They might feel lightheaded or nauseous. They might also feel pain in their upper stomach. Horizon Health said it could not comment on Imeson's file for privacy reasons, but provided a written statement from Bonnie Matchett, the network's clinical director of emergency and critical care. "We can confirm a high volume of patients were experiencing high acuity medical needs in Horizon's The Moncton Hospital (TMH) Emergency Department (ED) on this date," Matchett wrote. She said Horizon wants a "positive patient experience," and people concerned about the care they've received should communicate with a Horizon patient representative. Imeson said he's not sure he'll go to the patient advocate. He's focused on recovery. He is also reflecting on what he might have done to get seen more quickly — or whether causing any fuss would have been proper. "I just assumed they were doing the best with what they had and I just stuck through to the end," he said. "But I was concerned if I made a scene, would they ask me to leave? And would it even have been fair for me to do that to them they were as busy as they were."
CTV News
6 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Canadians voice frustrations with CRA over delays accessing benefits, refunds
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) national headquarters is seen in Ottawa on Friday, June 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Chris Ellis has been trying to access his tax refund for four months. He's just one of dozens of Canadians who tell CTV News the significant wait times and other challenges contacting the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) are preventing them from accessing certain benefits. From getting locked out of accounts for extended periods to getting stuck in a loop on the automated voice messaging system, many are expressing frustration with the agency's communication. In response to a CTV News article encouraging Canadians to reach out about their experiences with the CRA, several people shared that they have been waiting months to have their issues resolved. Ellis, for his part, was notified he'd been locked out of his CRA account after his bank, HSBC, was bought out by RBC, changing his direct deposit information and triggering a security alert. But Ellis says he didn't learn he'd been locked out until more than a month after he filed his taxes. 'I called CRA, and after listening to useless advice and options, I finally realized that I was in a loop: there was no way to reach an actual agent, and there was no option to select one,' Ellis wrote. 'This went on for about three weeks, with me calling in, going through the useless messages that took about six minutes, only to find out there were no agents available.' 'Super frustrating given that my account was locked out,' he added. Ellis then had to submit documentation through a portal — more than once — to prove his identity, but he still hasn't received his tax refund. 'So here I am, almost four months after submitting my tax return, and I am still in limbo,' he said. Ellis adds that CRA employees, once they can be reached, are 'very sharp' and 'very helpful,' but that the issue lies with the online and phone services. Delays causing 'extreme stress' 'I have been unable to reach a human at the CRA for weeks,' wrote Eric Enright in an email to CTV News. 'I have called periodically, maybe 10-15 times, and every time it just says all agents are busy and pushes me to an automated system that can't help. It is very frustrating.' 'I have no problem waiting hours, as I can just leave my phone beside me while I work,' Enright added. 'It's ridiculous, in my opinion, to not even give people the option of waiting.' Paul Medhurst said his tax return was filed mid-April but also has still not been processed. 'This failure of CRA is causing me extreme stress, worry and I'm losing a lot of sleep,' Medhurst said. '(I) worry of being broke and having my income held.' He added the delay in processing his tax return is preventing him from accessing monthly disability benefits. Sarah Kienitz wrote that it's taken months to receive the Canada Child Benefit, for which she's been approved. 'I attempted to contact the CRA three times to find out what the hold up was and to get clarity about why my taxes had been processed, but this was taking much longer,' she wrote. 'Each time I received a message that agents were busy and there was no option to even remain on hold, or any other way to contact them, except the chatbot that inevitably told me to call an agent with my queries.' 'I find it incredibly frustrating that I have tax deadlines and can be penalized for not completing on time, but the CRA can drag their heels almost four months before even telling me what my benefit entitlements are,' Kienitz also wrote. Others complained that CRA delays and communication challenges are preventing them from distributing estates for which they are the executor. Government departments tasked with finding savings Prime Minister Mark Carney, meanwhile, has pledged billions in new spending while promising to balance its operating budget. That will likely mean significant cuts to the size of the federal public service, according to the parliamentary budget officer. Ahead of a planned fall budget, government departments are being asked to find their own internal savings by the end of August, CTV News has confirmed. The Globe and Mail reported Friday the CRA is among the departments in the early stages of determining where to make cuts, as the union representing CRA employees is warning the cuts could 'disproportionately' affect call centres. Complaints about CRA wait times are not new. A 2017 report by the Auditor General found that the agency gave 'very limited access to its call centre services,' and that it blocked more than half the calls it received because it couldn't handle the volume. Also a 2023 report by the taxpayers' ombudsperson found the agency failed to properly communicate about the problem when thousands of people were locked out of their account two years prior. That report acknowledged specific challenges at the time, namely an overwhelming number of requests with the CRA while it distributed COVID-19-era relief benefits. 'This examination has highlighted a recurring issue at the CRA, where it communicates reactively rather than proactively,' the report concluded. In an email statement to CTV News, CRA spokesperson Charles Drouin said the agency is encouraging people to use online self-service tools — such as CRA My Account and the AI chatbot — before calling, because an estimated quarter of reported issues can be solved without an agent. 'We regret the inconvenience this situation may cause and are actively working to continuously improve both our phone and digital services,' Drouin wrote. 'By expanding self-service options, we aim to make it easier for Canadians to get the help they need quickly, securely, and without needing to speak to an agent.' Drouin added the CRA understands wait times can be frustrating, and that it values 'providing timely, high-quality service.' 'At times, demand for phone support can exceed our capacity and as a result, some callers are being redirected to automated self-service options,' Drouin wrote. Efforts to streamline certain processes are underway, including by changing some of its authorization requirements for individuals representing a client, according to a press release from the CRA this week. With files from CTV News' Stephanie Ha
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bexley GP surgery to get £360k to help reduce wait times
Nearly £360,000 will be given to a Bexley surgery in a bid to increase its clinical capacity and reduce waiting times for appointments. Bexley Council has confirmed it will give a grant of £359,196 to Crayford Town Surgery to implement work which will see the creation of two new clinic rooms. The money was gathered from unallocated Section 106 (S106) contributions from the redevelopment of the former Electrobase site in Crayford. S106 agreements between developers and local authorities are used to mitigate the negative impacts of a new development on the local community. A total of 559 new homes will be built as part of the redevelopment of the brownfield Electrobase site, likely resulting in increased pressure on local infrastructure and in particular health services. Bexley Council was approached by the NHS South East London ICB (integrated care board) with a request for the money to 'enable them to develop and implement a scheme to increase clinical capacity at Crayford Town Surgery in partnership with the practice' following confirmation that the residential development would be going ahead. The ICB considers that the S106 funds will cover the entire project which aims to increase patient capacity 'through reconfiguration' and through the constitution of two new clinic rooms. The ICB has welcomed the cash injection for the surgery. A Bexley spokesperson for the South East London ICB said: 'Investment received because of the Electrobase residential development Section 106 contributions, will allow Crayford Town Surgery to reconfigure and refurbish its current site. 'This will include two additional consulting rooms and a hot-desking room, for primary care colleagues from the wider neighbourhood team, to provide more joined-up care to patients. 'This investment will enable the surgery to increase its clinical capacity (GPs and multi-professional clinicians) and meet the health and care needs of the new population moving into the Electrobase residential development. 'NHS South East London Integrated Care Board has worked in partnership with the London Borough of Bexley and is supportive of this investment.'
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
List of patients waiting longest for hospital treatment, by deprivation area
Here is a full list of the proportion of people waiting more than a year to start hospital treatment in the most and least deprived areas of each region and NHS trust in England. It is the first time this data has been published. The figures are for the week ending June 29 2025. The data is presented in two sections, the first giving the proportions for each region, the second giving the proportions for every NHS trust. A small number of trusts reported no data. The regions and trusts are listed alphabetically. The list has been compiled by the PA news agency using data published by NHS England. The name of the region or trust is followed by the percentage of people waiting more than a year to begin treatment in the most deprived areas, then the percentage for the least deprived areas. – Regions: East of England: 4.9% in most deprived areas, 4.0% in least deprived areasLondon: 2.4%, 1.8%Midlands: 3.0%, 2.4%North East & Yorkshire: 2.1%, 1.9%North West: 4.0%, 3.7%South East: 3.4%, 3.1%South West: 2.1%, 1.7% – NHS trusts: Airedale: 0.5% in most deprived areas, no data for least deprived areasAlder Hey Children's: 2.4%, 1.8%Ashford & St Peter's Hospitals: no data, 2.1%Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals: no data, 0.5%Barnsley: 0.7%, no dataBarts: 4.1%, 3.6%Bedfordshire: 2.4%, 2.6%Birmingham Women's & Children's: 0.9%, 1.6%Blackpool Teaching Hospitals: 5.4%, 3.7%Bolton: 3.5%, 3.3%Bradford Teaching Hospitals: 0.6%, no dataBuckinghamshire: no data, 2.7%Calderdale & Huddersfield: 0.2%, no dataCambridge University Hospitals: 3.4%, 4.3%Chelsea & Westminster: 1.4%, 1.9%Chesterfield Royal: 3.5%, 3.5%Countess of Chester: 9.9%, 8.1%County Durham & Darlington: 0.9%, 1.3%Croydon Health Services: 1.2%, 2.5%Dartford & Gravesham: 3.4%, 2.9%Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals: 2.7%, 4.9%Dorset County: 1.4%, 1.9%East & North Hertfordshire: no data, 1.6%East Cheshire: no data, no dataEast Kent Hospitals University: 3.2%, 2.9%East Lancashire Hospitals: 4.1%, 4.0%East Suffolk & North Essex: 3.6%, 3.2%East Sussex: 1.8%, 1.6%Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals: no data, 1.6%Frimley: no data, 3.4%Gateshead: 0.4%, no dataGeorge Eliot Hospital: 3.6%, 3.9%Gloucestershire Hospitals: 0.0%, no dataGreat Ormond Street: 3.1%, 4.9%Great Western Hospitals: 2.0%, 1.6%Guy's & St Thomas': 2.3%, 2.0%Hampshire Hospitals: no data, 3.6%Harrogate & District: no data, no dataHomerton Healthcare: 0.7%, no dataHull University Teaching Hospitals: 3.8%, 3.0%Imperial College Healthcare: 2.1%, 2.4%Isle of Wight: no data, no dataJames Paget University Hospitals: 5.1%, 4.8%Kettering General Hospital: 1.3%, 0.9%King's College Hospital: 2.9%, 1.5%Kingston & Richmond: 0.0%, 0.6%Lancashire Teaching Hospitals: 4.0%, 2.6%Leeds Teaching Hospitals: 3.4%, 2.8%Lewisham & Greenwich: 4.7%, 5.1%Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital: no data, 4.3%Liverpool University Hospitals: 4.9%, 2.8%Liverpool Women's: 3.5%, no dataLondon North West University: 2.7%, 2.7%Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells: 0.0%, 0.0%Manchester University: 4.6%, 3.4%Medway: 4.2%, 5.6%Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals: 3.1%, 2.7%Mid & South Essex: 7.8%, 6.6%Mid Cheshire Hospitals: 7.0%, 4.5%Mid Yorkshire Teaching: 0.9%, 0.6%Milton Keynes University Hospital: 5.2%, 5.1%Moorfields Eye Hospital: 0.0%, no dataNorfolk & Norwich University Hospitals: 4.8%, 4.3%North Bristol: 0.4%, 0.4%North Cumbria Integrated Care: 2.9%, 3.1%North Tees & Hartlepool: 1.2%, 0.9%North West Anglia: 3.7%, 3.6%Northampton General Hospital: 1.1%, 1.2%Northern Care Alliance: 3.9%, 4.6%Northern Lincolnshire & Goole: 2.7%, 3.5%Northumbria Healthcare: no data, 0.0%Nottingham University Hospitals: 2.1%, 1.8%Oxford University Hospitals: 3.3%. 3.4%Portsmouth Hospitals University: 4.8%, 4.1%Queen Victoria Hospital: 3.8%, 1.7%Royal Berkshire: no data, no dataRoyal Cornwall Hospitals: 1.0%, no dataRoyal Devon University Healthcare: 4.1%, 2.6%Royal Free London: 3.3%, 2.9%Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital: no data, 1.1%Royal Papworth Hospital: no data, 1.4%Royal Surrey County Hospital: no data, 5.2%Royal United Hospitals Bath: 2.5%, 2.0%Salisbury: no data, 0.7%Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals: 1.9%, 1.4%Sheffield Children's: 2.9%, 2.1%Sheffield Teaching Hospitals: 2.3%, 2.2%Sherwood Forest Hospitals: 1.6%, 1.0%Somerset: 3.0%, 2.9%South Tees Hospitals: 3.4%, 3.1%South Tyneside & Sunderland: no data, 0.0%South Warwickshire University: 7.1%, 2.2%St George's University Hospitals: 5.1%, 2.2%Stockport: 3.8%, 3.0%Surrey & Sussex Healthcare: no data, 1.7%Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care: 0.0%, 0.0%The Christie: 0.0%, 0.0%The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre: 0.0%, 0.0%The Dudley Group: 1.3%, 0.9%The Hillingdon Hospitals: 0.0%, 1.4%The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals: 1.5%, 1.5%The Princess Alexandra Hospital: no data, 5.3%The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn: 2.3%, no dataThe Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital: 7.8%, 9.1%The Rotherham: 2.3%, no dataThe Royal Marsden: 0.0%, no dataThe Royal Orthopaedic Hospital: 3.9%, 3.6%The Royal Wolverhampton: 3.9%, 2.7%The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital: 2.3%, 2.4%The Walton Centre: 0.8%, 1.4%Torbay & South Devon: 2.8%, 2.5%United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals: 2.9%, 3.0%University College London Hospitals: 2.3%, 1.9%University Hospital Southampton: 2.5%, 2.1%University Hospitals Birmingham: 5.9%, 4.8%University Hospitals Bristol & Weston: 1.4%, 1.5%University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire: 2.8%, 3.1%University Hospitals Dorset: 3.5%, 3.2%University Hospitals of Derby & Burton: 1.9%, 2.0%University Hospitals of Leicester: 2.7%, 2.0%University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay: 1.8%, 1.0%University Hospitals of North Midlands: 2.9%, 2.2%University Hospitals Plymouth: 3.8%, 3.8%University Hospitals Sussex: 6.0%, 5.1%Walsall Healthcare: 0.2%, no dataWarrington & Halton Teaching Hospitals: 5.2%, 4.7%West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals: no data, 1.7%West Suffolk: 8.7%, 4.4%Whittington Health: 1.3%, no dataWirral University Teaching Hospital: 3.1%, 2.3%Worcestershire Acute Hospitals: 2.1%, 1.5%Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh: 3.9%, 3.9%Wye Valley: 3.8%, 2.7%York & Scarborough Teaching Hospitals: 3.2%, 2.7%
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
New £1.3m procedure room opens at Braintree Community Hospital
A trust has pledged to cut waiting times for patients after an £1.3m upgrade to a procedure and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said the new room at Braintree Community Hospital would see up to 3,000 procedures a year carried out, taking the pressure off main operating will be used for minor foot, elbow and upper limb treatments, freeing up theatres for "more complex surgeries, such as knee and hip replacements".Ayse Casey, deputy director of operations, trauma and orthopaedics at the trust, said the room was a "fantastic addition" to the hospital, and meant "patients coming to us for a simple procedure can be seen in a more appropriate environment". She said: "This will help reduce waiting times and improve access to care for our patients." Patients can also use the room for conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger Moore, from Stifford Clays in Grays, was the first patient to benefit from the new room after undergoing carpal tunnel surgery at the hospital. Ms Moore runs her own cleaning business and has been waiting some time for said: "It was all very quick. The ladies in the theatre were very calming and it only took about 20 minutes. "It was a really lovely and calm atmosphere, the head of the team was so reassuring."I noticed the difference straight away. I'm really happy with the result and I have no more carpal tunnel pain, it will make a huge difference especially as I rely on my hands for my job." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
