Ottawa Hospital preparing ‘unconventional spaces’ to handle influx of patients

The Ottawa Hospital General Campus is seen in this undated file image. (CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) says it is currently dealing with higher-than-normal patient volumes and is preparing some “unconventional spaces”, such as the gymnasium, to meet demand.

In a thread on X, formerly Twitter, the hospital said increased patient volumes are typical this time of year, but its current capacity is being “challenged.”

“TOH has prepared several temporary unconventional spaces to continue providing high-quality patient care to our community,” it said. “Our teams have worked extremely hard to identify these temporary spaces that could become care areas if needed. They have also been adjusted to maintain patient safety, comfort and experience.”

This move is meant to increase bed capacity. The hospital says it is also adjusting its staffing model to respond to patients' needs.

A TOH spokesperson says both the Civic and General campuses are affected by the current influx in patients.

“Rest assured that we are prepared. If you are in need of our care, our dedicated teams are here for you,” TOH said.

Several hospitals in Ottawa have been dealing with wait times that have exceeded provincial averages. New statistics from Health Quality Ontario show the average wait time for a first assessment by a doctor in the ER was 3.6 hours at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus last November. The average wait time at the General Campus was below the provincial average at two hours in November, but it was 3.5 hours the month prior.