Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) is taking proactive steps to prepare for the increased demand for hospital services typically experienced during the fall and winter months, building on ongoing work to improve patient access, strengthen patient flow and expand care options beyond hospital walls.
Like many hospitals across Ontario, KHSC anticipates rising demand for inpatient care as influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and COVID-19 infections increase. Following last winter's record patient volumes, KHSC has been reviewing and strengthening its plans to ensure patients continue to receive safe, high-quality care during periods of exceptional demand.
Improving access and patient flow
A central part of KHSC's preparations involves ongoing efforts to improve how patients move through the health-care system, from admission through treatment, discharge and recovery.
Teams across the organization have been advancing initiatives to support timely admissions, transfers and discharges, reduce unnecessary hospital stays, and help patients receive care in the most appropriate setting.
Through programs such as KHSC@Home, the operations of an Alternate Care Facility in Amherstview, and a growing range of virtual-care services, KHSC is already supporting more than 800 patients each day outside its hospital walls. These programs allow patients to receive care closer to home when appropriate, helping preserve hospital capacity for those requiring specialized inpatient treatment.
"Our first priority is to make the best possible use of the resources and capacity we already have," says Dr. David Pichora, President and CEO of KHSC. "That means improving how patients move through the hospital, helping people return home safely as soon as they're ready, and expanding opportunities for patients to receive care outside the hospital when appropriate. This work is important throughout the year but becomes especially critical during periods of increased demand."
Preparing additional options for exceptional demand
Despite these efforts, KHSC recognizes that seasonal increases in patient volumes can sometimes exceed the hospital's conventional inpatient capacity.
As part of its winter preparedness planning, KHSC is identifying and preparing alternative spaces at its Kingston General Hospital (KGH) site that could be used temporarily if needed. Selected areas are undergoing modifications, including the installation of patient call bells and privacy curtains, to make them more suitable for patient care should exceptional demand require their use.
KHSC is also reviewing staffing arrangements and contingency plans to support its response to changing patient volumes.
"Last winter presented significant challenges for our patients, families and health-care teams, and we learned a great deal from that experience," says Dr. Pichora. "Our goal is to anticipate those pressures and prepare appropriate options in advance, rather than having to make difficult arrangements at the last minute."
Maintaining care during periods of exceptional pressure
KHSC recognizes that receiving care in an alternative or overflow space is not the experience patients and families expect or deserve. However, the hospital emphasizes that a patient's location does not change their need for, or receipt of, appropriate clinical care.
Even during periods of significant overcrowding, patients remain under the care of KHSC's clinical teams, with care and monitoring guided by their individual health needs. Staff continue to assess patients, administer treatments and medications, and respond to changes in their conditions.
"Of course, we want every patient to receive care in an appropriate, fully equipped hospital room," says Dr. Pichora. "But when demand exceeds the space available, our responsibility is to continue caring for the patients who need us. Being cared for in an unconventional space does not mean being without care. Our teams work hard to provide the attention, treatment, and support that patients need, even when the physical environment is less than ideal."
KHSC's preparations are consistent with Ontario Health's direction to hospitals to strengthen patient flow, maximize opportunities for care outside hospital and maintain contingency plans for periods of increased demand. Alternative and overflow spaces would only be used when necessary, in accordance with KHSC's established overcapacity protocols and appropriate clinical and staffing considerations.
"Planning ahead gives us more options and helps us respond in a thoughtful, organized way," says Dr. Pichora. "Our commitment is to do everything reasonably possible to ensure patients continue to receive the care they need throughout the winter months."
