Latest news with #OttawaParamedicService
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Man stabbed in Ottawa's ByWard Market
A file image from a crime scene in Ottawa is seen. A man is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries after being stabbed in the ByWard Market Monday night. The Ottawa Paramedic Service tells CTV News Ottawa a crew on patrol in the tourist area around 9:20 p.m. was flagged down by a bystander to report a stabbing. Paramedics treated an adult male for stab wounds at the scene, and he was transported to hospital in stable condition. No other information was released. This is a developing story.
CBC
13-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Ottawa made big gains in ambulance availability last year
The amount of time when there were no Ottawa ambulances available to respond to new calls decreased significantly last year. The improvement in "level zero" events is noted in a new report from the Ottawa Paramedic Service, tabled ahead of the next meeting of the city's emergency preparedness and protective services committee. In 2024, the amount of paramedic service time lost during level zero events totalled 190 hours. That's down 79 per cent from the previous year. By comparison, between 2021 and 2024, the total time lost over the course of a year averaged 624 hours. 2022 was a particularly bad year, with the paramedic service logging 1,217 level-zero hours. Offload time still lagging Offload delays at local hospitals — which happen when a paramedic crew can't immediately transfer the care of a patient to hospital staff — continues to be a significant contributor to level zero events, according to the report. But 2024 saw improvements in off-load times, too. They've now dropped to three-year lows at all Ottawa-area hospitals. Last year, the Ottawa Hospital's General and Civic campuses recorded 112.73 and 112.78 minutes of off-load delay, while Montfort Hospital recorded 159.01 minutes. Still, the report notes, off-load delays fall short of the desired 30-minute performance target. The emergency preparedness and protective services committee will meet to discuss the latest statistics on June 23.
Ottawa Citizen
13-06-2025
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa paramedics improving on-time performance, new report says
An Ottawa Paramedic Service amublance at the emergency entrance at the Ottawa Hospital General Campus in a file photo. Photo by Tony Caldwell / Postmedia Changes at both the Ottawa Paramedic Service and area hospitals have led to marked improvements in offload delays and 'level zero' events at emergency rooms. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors But challenges remain in overall performance, the service says in its 2024 annual report. 'The service adopted a new medical priority dispatch system in 2024 that can identify low acuity patients that may be deferred and high acuity patients who require an immediate response,' the report says. Less severe patients may wait longer for paramedics to arrive. These patients are checked at 30-60 minute intervals in case the patient's condition changes. The Ottawa Citizen's best journalism, delivered directly to your inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again 'Delaying the response for some patients is safe and clinically appropriate when retaining paramedics' availability to respond to the next life-threatening incident,' the report says. Paramedics responded to life-threatening calls within eight minutes 75 per cent of the time in 2024. That was up from 68 per cent of the time in 2023 and 61.8 per cent in 2022. For urgent calls, paramedics responded within 10 minutes 76 per cent of the time, up from 68.8 per cent in 2023. For sudden cardiac response calls, response time was six minutes 70.2 per cent of the time, up slightly from the target of six minutes, 65 per cent of the time. The report says the new dispatch system and new mitigation measures in hospitals have resulted in a 'significant decrease to hospital offload delays and level zero events.' Level zero is when there are no paramedics available for calls. Paramedics spent 11,373 minutes at 'level zero' in 2024, down from 52,995 minutes in 2023 and 73,060 minutes in 2022. The Ottawa Paramedic Service said it evolved its service delivery in response to a growing population, an aging demographic, and reduced access to primary care. Current healthcare challenges include the increase in mental health illnesses, the opiate crisis and related social issues. 'The role of a paramedic bridges the gap between health care and public safety.' Staff say offload delays at local hospital emergency rooms continue to be a 'significant contributor' to level zero events for the paramedic service. 'The performance target for level zero is that there should never be a time when a paramedic crew is not available,' the report says. According to the paramedics, offload delays improved at all five Ottawa hospital emergency rooms last year.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
2 people hurt after vehicle rolls into a field near Manotick
The Ottawa Fire Service says a vehicle left Rideau Valley Road and rolled into a field Friday morning. Two people were treated for injuries. (Ottawa Fire Services/X) Two people were treated for injuries after a vehicle left the road and rolled 30 feet into a field near Manotick. Emergency crews responded to a call at 4:15 a.m. Friday for a vehicle that left the road and flipped onto its side on Rideau Valley Drive, between Barnsdale Road and Blankfield Road. The Ottawa Fire Service says it was a single-vehicle crash, with the vehicle leaving the road, rolling and landing on the driver's side approximately 30 feet off the road in the field 'Upon further investigation, it was confirmed there were two trapped occupants inside the vehicle,' Ottawa Fire Services spokesperson Nick Defazio said in a statement. 'Firefighters stabilized the vehicle and advanced a hose line as a precaution. Firefighters used specialized tools to remove the windshield and part of the roof of the vehicle to safely extricate both trapped occupants.' The Ottawa Paramedic Service says the driver of the vehicle suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. She was transported to hospital in serious but stable condition. A man who was the passenger in the vehicle was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Ottawa paramedics spending less time waiting to offload patients in ERs, report shows
Ottawa paramedics are spending less time waiting to offload patients in hospital emergency rooms and the service is at 'level zero' less often since the introduction of a new dispatch system a year ago, according to a new report. The Ottawa Paramedic Service introduced a new 'medical priority dispatch system' in April 2024, which allows dispatchers to identify urgent patients who require an immediate paramedic response and non-life-threatening calls that may be deferred, delaying a paramedic response. The 2024 Ottawa Paramedic Service Report says the introduction of the new dispatch system and the implementation of new mitigation measures in hospitals has resulted in a 'significant decrease to hospital offload delays and 'level zero' events.' The paramedic service spent 11,373 minutes at 'level zero' in 2024, when there were no ambulances available to respond to a call. That's down from 52,995 minutes at 'level zero' in 2023 and 73,060 minutes in 2022. Staff say offload delays at local hospital emergency rooms continue to be a 'significant contributor' to 'level zero' events for the paramedic service. 'The performance target for level zero is that there should never be a time when a paramedic crew is not available,' the report says. According to the Ottawa Paramedic Service, offload delays improved at all five Ottawa hospital emergency rooms last year, but the paramedic service and hospitals are not meeting performance targets. The industry accepted performance target to transfer patients to the care of a hospital is 30 minutes at the 90th percentile. Here is a look at the Ottawa hospital offload times in 2024: Ottawa Hospital General Campus: 112.73 minutes (158.08 minutes in 2023) Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus: 112.78 minutes (142.20 minutes in 2023) Montfort Hospital: 159.01 minutes (234.40 minutes in 2023) Queensway-Carleton Hospital: 144.18 minutes (171.81 minutes in 2023) CHEO: 38.45 minutes (39.46 minutes in 2023) The paramedic report says hospitals implemented several mitigations strategies last September aimed at reducing offload delays and improving service for the patient. Mitigation measures include: Paramedic Response Unit : An emergency response vehicle staffed with a single paramedic can assess patients, initiate care and determine whether an ambulance is required. : An emergency response vehicle staffed with a single paramedic can assess patients, initiate care and determine whether an ambulance is required. Dedicated Offload Nurse Program: Paramedics transfer care to a dedicated health professional within the hospital ER. Paramedics transfer care to a dedicated health professional within the hospital ER. Vertical Patient 'Fit 2 Sit' Program: The program has seen almost 4,500 patients redirected to the emergency department waiting room, allowing paramedic crews back into the community. The program has seen almost 4,500 patients redirected to the emergency department waiting room, allowing paramedic crews back into the community. Targeted Engagement Diversion: Paramedics may transport an individual experiencing homelessness to a specialized medical clinic operated by Ottawa Inner City Health. In 2024, almost 900 people were diverted away from the ER. Paramedics may transport an individual experiencing homelessness to a specialized medical clinic operated by Ottawa Inner City Health. In 2024, almost 900 people were diverted away from the ER. Mobile Logistics Support Unit Patient Flow Paramedic : The Ottawa Paramedic Service deploys a single flow paramedic to an ER to receive up to four patients, allowing four crews to return to service. : The Ottawa Paramedic Service deploys a single flow paramedic to an ER to receive up to four patients, allowing four crews to return to service. Paramedic treatment on offload delay: Paramedics administer clinical treatment while in a hospital during an offload delay. A paramedic can consult with a physician on patient care and provide ongoing treatment. Paramedics administer clinical treatment while in a hospital during an offload delay. A paramedic can consult with a physician on patient care and provide ongoing treatment. Physician assessment on stretchers: A physician will assess or treat a patient while in the care of a paramedic crew during an offload delay. A physician will assess or treat a patient while in the care of a paramedic crew during an offload delay. Breakaway paramedic crew: Breakaway paramedic crews are identified at the start of the shift and deployed when there are high acuity calls waiting in the queue. Ottawa paramedics Ottawa Paramedic Service vehicles parked at a hospital in Ottawa. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa) Response times Ottawa paramedics received 121,461 calls for service in 2024, down from 127,107 calls for service in 2023. There were 173,053 responses by paramedics last year, down from 193,127 responses in 2023 and 184,113 responses in 2022. The response volume is measured on how many paramedic resources are assigned to calls. According to the report, paramedics met the Council-approved response time performance targets in 2024. The Ottawa Paramedic Service responded to life-threatening calls within eight minutes 75 per cent of the time last year, up from 68 per cent of the time in 2023 and 61.8 per cent in 2022. For urgent calls, paramedics responded to calls within 10 minutes 76 per cent of the time, up from 68.8 per cent in 2023. Paramedics also met the response time target for sudden cardiac arrest, responding to calls within six minutes 70.2 per cent of the time. The target for sudden cardiac arrest is a response time within six minutes, 65 per cent of the time. The City of Ottawa hired 14 new full-time paramedics in 2023 and 28 new full-time paramedics in 2024 to help improve response times. The 2025 budget included funding for 27 new full-time paramedic stations.
