The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will close early on Friday. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed on Friday at 5 a.m. and reopen on Monday at 8 a.m.
The ER at Queens General is usually open 24 hours daily from 8 a.m. Monday to 1:30 p.m. Friday and closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Nova Scotia’s Department of Health advises people experiencing a medical emergency to dial 911. The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will also be open.
Virtual urgent care is available for limited services at Queens General daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Patients of Queens Family Health can access the same-day access clinic for new, emerging health problems that require urgent treatment by calling 902-354-3322.
Exterior of Queens General Hospital. Photo Ed Halverson
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed on Friday (July 11).
The ER had closed this Wednesday but reopened Thursday this week.
The ER is supposed to be open 24 hours daily from 8 a.m. Monday to 1:30 p.m. Friday. Nova Scotia Health gave no reason for the Wednesday or Friday closures.
In the past, officials have told QCCR it was because of inadequate staffing levels.
Virtual urgent care is available for some conditions at Queens General every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Patients of Queens Family Health can access the same-day clinic Monday to Friday for problems that require urgent treatment by calling 902-354-3322.
Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911. For general health advice and information, people can call 811 to speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed Wednesday. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed on Wednesday. It will reopen Thursday at 8 a.m.
The ER is usually open 24 hours daily from 8 a.m. Monday to 1:30 p.m. Friday. Nova Scotia Health gave no reason for the Wednesday closure.
Virtual urgent care is available for some conditions at Queens General every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Patients of Queens Family Health can access the same-day clinic for problems that require urgent treatment by calling 902-354-3322.
Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911. For general health advice and information, people can call 811 to speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed Friday. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool is closed Friday.
Nova Scotia Health issued a notice Thursday night that the ER would be closed temporarily until Mon., March 17 at 8 a.m. It gave no reason for the closure.
On Feb. 27, the department announced new “expanded and consistent” hours for the Liverpool ER. It would be open 24 hours a day from Mondays at 8 a.m. until Fridays at 1:30 p.m. and closed on weekends.
Leslie Oliver, the executive director of community and rural health in the western zone for Nova Scotia Health, told QCCR at the time that the new hours would provide patients with reliability.
“We don’t have any plans of going back to an inconsistent coverage schedule.”
Virtual urgent care is still available at the hospital from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.
Liverpool won’t have local emergency department services available on weekends, but it will have 24-hour service through the week.
Nova Scotia Health announced Thursday that it is introducing “expanded and consistent hours” for the Queens General Hospital emergency department.
Beginning March 1, the ER in Liverpool will be open for 24 hours from Mondays at 8 a.m. to Fridays at 1:30 p.m. It will close on Fridays at 1:30 p.m. until Mondays at 8 a.m.
Nova Scotia Health says the change increases the department’s weekly operating hours from about 35 to 101.5 hours.
Leslie Oliver, the executive director of community and rural health in the western zone for Nova Scotia Health, told QCCR on Friday that the new ER schedule in Liverpool will provide more service for patients.
“This temporary schedule that was developed in collaboration with the emergency staff and physicians really will be tripling the amount of hours that the emergency department is open for our community. This is a positive news story for our community.”
In the past few years, the emergency department at Queens General has been hit regularly with temporary closures.
Oliver says the new schedule will allow for better co-ordination with other hospital departments such as laboratory, diagnostic imaging and pharmacy services.
She said virtual urgent care for certain conditions like prescription refills, urinary tract infections or coughs and sore throats will still be available at the hospital seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. A triage nurse will be on duty for that service during those times.
“And a great number of the patients in the community who are presenting for the emergency department they’re actually appropriate for that virtual urgent care stream so we would encourage them to take advantage of that opportunity as well.”
Oliver said there is still a significant nurse shortage in the department.
“We’ve been really committed to our recruitment efforts and that’s not going to change,” she said. “We want to make sure we have Nova Scotia nurses working within our emergency department for sure.”
She said they plan to stick with this schedule until they can hire enough staff to return the Queens General ER to a 24/7 operation.
“We’re hoping to provide this consistent ongoing coverage for the next several months, hoping to have more success in the recruitment area with more physicians coming on board and more nurses to support the department. We don’t have any plans of going back to an inconsistent coverage schedule. Our goal is to have that Queens emergency department open 24/7, 365 days a year.”
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool. (Rick Conrad photo)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be on reduced hours until Tuesday.
It will be closed:
from 1:30 p.m. Friday, February 14, and reopen Saturday, February 15 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Sunday, February 16 and reopen Monday, February 17 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Monday, February 17 and reopen Tuesday, February 18 at 8 a.m.
Virtual urgent care is available at Queens General seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. That’s only for certain things such as prescription refills, sinus congestion, coughs and sore throat, urinary tract infections, skin concerns, bites and stings, and mild or moderate aches and pains.
The ER at South Shore General Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed on Sunday. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will have reduced hours for the next few days.
It will close at 1:30 p.m. today (Friday) and reopen Saturday at 8 a.m. It will be closed again on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., all day Sunday and reopen on Mon., Dec. 30 at 8 a.m.
It will close again on Monday at 1:30 p.m. and reopen Tues., Dec. 31 at 8 a.m.
Virtual urgent care for certain things is available at Queens General Monday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on weekends from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Nova Scotia Health advises anyone experiencing a medical emergency to call 911.
Patients of Queens Family Health can access the same-day clinic through the week for new health problems that require urgent treatment. Hours are based on provider availability. Clinic patients can call 902-354-3322 to book an appointment.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Patients of Queens Family Health can access the same-day clinic, depending on provider availability, by calling 902-354-3322.
A mobile primary care clinic is scheduled to be at Queens General on Tuesday (July 30) from 1 to 4 p.m., Wednesday (July 31) from 1 to 4 p.m. and on Thursday (Aug. 1) from 9 a.m. to noon.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at various times this weekend. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be on limited hours for the weekend and early next week.
It will be closed on Friday, Saturday (July 20), Sunday (July 21), Monday (July 22) and Tuesday (July 23) at 1:30 p.m. each day and reopen at 8 a.m. the next day.
For example, it will reopen on Saturday at 8 a.m., but close again at 1:30 a.m. and reopen Sunday at 8 a.m.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Nova Scotia Health says that anybody experiencing a medical emergency should call 911.
Patients of the Queens Family Health same-day clinic can call 902-354-3322 to book an appointment through the week for new and emerging health problems, depending on provider availability.
You can also talk to a nurse for general health advice by calling 811, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at certain times this week.
It closed at 1:30 p.m. on Monday and will reopen Tuesday at 8 a.m. It will close again on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. and reopen Wednesday at 8 a.m.
Patients of Queens Family Health can call 902-354-3322 to access the same-day clinic, depending on provider availability.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
As of June 1, 1,100 people in Queens County, about 10 per cent of the population, were still without a doctor or nurse practitioner. In Bridgewater, 6,382 people were on the waitlist. That’s almost 23 per cent of their population.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at various times this weekend. (Communications Nova Scotia)
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at 1:30 p.m. on Friday until 8 a.m. Sat., June 29
It will close again at 1:30 p.m. on Sun., June 30 and reopen Mon., July 1 at 8 a.m.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Nova Scotia Health advises people experiencing a medical emergency to call 911. For general health advice, people can contact 811 to speak to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Patients of Queens Family Health can call the same-day clinic through the week for new and emerging conditions at 902-354-3322. Hours are based on provider availability.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed at various times over this week. (Communications Nova Scotia)
Here is when the emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed over the next week:
from 1:30 p.m. Wed., May 22, to Thurs., May 23 at 8 a.m.
from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fri., May 24
from 5 a.m. Sat., May 25 to Sun., May 26 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Tues., May 28 to Wed., May 29 at 8 a.m.
Nova Scotia Health advises people with urgent medical needs to call 911. Patients of Queens Family Health can access the same-day clinic from Monday to Friday by calling 902-354-3322. Clinic hours are based on staff availability.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be closed for the rest of Thursday and will reopen at midnight and be open on Friday.
It will close again for the weekend at 5 a.m. Saturday and reopen on Tuesday at 8 a.m.
Nova Scotia Health is setting up a mobile primary care clinic at the hospital on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will be at the Queen’s Family Health location.
It is a drop-in clinic, so you don’t have to call ahead.
The emergency department at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open. Patients of Queens Family Health with new or emerging problems can access the same-day clinic through the week at 902-354-3322.
Kim Masland, Queens MLA and Nova Scotia’s Public Works Minister, says chronic ER closures in her riding are worrisome. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
Queens MLA Kim Masland says the Nova Scotia government is making progress in its efforts to keep the emergency department at Queens General Hospital open more often, but she admits there’s more work to do.
“I know right now we’ve been open pretty much 50 per cent of the time which is very, very concerning,” Masland said in an interview this week.
“We need to make sure that our ER is open and available to people when they need it. We’re 30 minutes away from Bridgewater, we’re further away to the next ER.”
She pointed to efforts by the Queens General Hospital Foundation and Nova Scotia Health recruiters to bring more health care workers to the area.
“We are making progress. We’ve recruited six (ER and family practice) doctors in the last year which is absolutely fabulous. But it’s a staffing issue. We need to make sure that we can recruit and then retain. So we’ll keep working at it.”
Masland and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston were asked about the ER closures during a Q&A session at an event in Liverpool on Wednesday organized by the South Queens Chamber of Commerce.
The ER in Liverpool was closed all last weekend. And this week, it is open most days only from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It will be closed all day Saturday. According to Nova Scotia Health, the ER was closed for part or all of the day for 13 days in November, 15 in December and 15 in January. A Nova Scotia Health official told QCCR in January that the Queens General ER needs 10 more nurses to be open more often.
Houston told the crowd Wednesday that the province has made many changes to how health care is delivered. He pointed to the expanded scope of practice for many health care workers, including pharmacists, nurse practitioners and others who are now able to do more of the duties once restricted to doctors.
“Our pharmacies did, since we started opening up this access path, almost 19,000 strep tests over the last three or four months. I can tell you where pretty much every one of those 19,000 people would have went if not for a pharmacy.
“So we’re really trying to mobilize everyone. … Then we can take a little bit of pressure off everyone else. And if we can take a little pressure off everyone else, then we can start to attract more people who want to be part of an innovative, leading edge health care system.”
Houston said that while there’s no quick fix, it’s important that people know that they don’t always have to wait in an ER for treatment.
“So we want to make sure that everyone knows where they can go to access the health care that they need. And it might be the emergency department and we want it to be open, but it doesn’t always have to be the emergency department for everything … when there’s something else that will work just as effectively.”
Masland says the province’s focus is on recruiting more health care professionals to the area.
“We’re very committed to improving health care and that’s where our focus is going to remain.”
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool is on restricted hours until next week. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool will be on restricted hours until next Wednesday (Feb. 14).
It will be open most days this week from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It will be open all day Thursday (Feb. 8) at 8 a.m. It will be closed at 1:30 p.m. Friday, all of Saturday, and reopen Sunday at 8 a.m.
Here is when the ER will be closed this week, according to Nova Scotia Health:
from 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6 and reopens Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 and reopens Thursday. Feb. 8 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9 and reopens Sunday, Feb. 11 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11 and reopens Monday, Feb. 12 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12 and reopens Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 8 a.m.
from 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 and reopens Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 8 a.m.
The ER at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will be open.
Patients of Queens Family Health can call 902-354-3322 for same-day treatment for certain conditions.
According to the latest numbers from Nova Scotia Health, as of January, 1,113 people in Queens County were still looking for a family doctor or nurse practitioner. That’s about 10 per cent of the population.
The emergency department at Queens General Hospital will be closed at 1:30 p.m. Friday for the whole weekend and reopen Monday at 8 a.m.
Earlier Thursday, Nova Scotia Health said the ER would be closed from Thursday morning (Feb. 1) and reopen Friday morning before closing again Friday afternoon for the whole weekend.
But in an advisory sent after 5 p.m., it amended the ER’s hours, saying it reopened at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
Nova Scotia Health did not give a reason for the temporary closure. The emergency department at South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater will remain open.
The ER at Queens General was closed for part or all of the day for 13 days in November, 15 in December and 15 in January. A Nova Scotia Health official told QCCR in January that staffing is the main reason.
The ER at Roseway Hospital in Shelburne is also open.
Patients of Queens Family Health can call for same-day appointments for certain conditions at 902-354-3322.
If you’re still waiting to be assigned a doctor or nurse practitioner, Nova Scotia Health says you can also access VirtualCareNS.
The Mental Health and Addictions Crisis Line is also available any time by calling 1-888-429-8167.
