10 more nurses needed at Queens General ER, Nova Scotia Health says

Queens General Hospital. Photo Ed Halverson

By Rick Conrad

Staffing shortages are once again being blamed for ongoing temporary closures at the emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool.

Darlene Davis, the executive director for community and rural health for Nova Scotia Health’s western zone, said Thursday it boils down to not enough doctors or nurses, despite hiring efforts to bolster the Queens ER in the past year.

“We have seen more frequent closures than we’d like to see in the ED department, certainly,” she said in an interview.

“We’re constantly in a position of recruitment. And it is a challenge to try to keep staff onboarded. People leave for a variety of reasons, so whether it’s retirement or they’re relocating or just looking for other opportunities.”

The ER was closed from Wednesday morning at 11:30 to Thursday at 8 a.m. It closed again later Thursday at 1:30 p.m. and will reopen Friday morning at 8. It will remain open until Sunday at 5 a.m., when it will close until Monday at 8 a.m.

According to numbers provided by Nova Scotia Health, temporary closures affected the Queens General emergency department for 13 days in November, 15 in December, and 10 so far in January. Those were usually closures for part of the day, but some were full-day closures.

Davis said nurses are a key component to keeping the ER open. Queens General needs to hire 10 more in its emergency department alone. She didn’t know how many more doctors are needed.

“We have a significant vacancy rate there. We do add folks and we’ve got people who are leaving at the same time, so the bottom line is we need to continue to put our efforts toward recruitment and that’s our highest priority right now.”

Davis said ER schedules are planned at least four to eight weeks in advance, but they’re addressed on a daily basis.

“We certainly don’t plan to be closed. We plan to be open. And our goal is to provide as much reliability consistency as we possibly can to the community. So we’re striving to fill those shifts every day. Our goal is to be open seven days a week.”

People who need emergency care can go to the ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater, or call 911. 

Patients of Queens Family Health can also access the same-day clinic for certain conditions by calling 902-354-3322.

The Mental Health and Addictions crisis line is available 24 hours a day at 1-888-429-8167.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com