Crowded emergency: the Suroît Hospital has found the solution

The Hôpital du Suroît, one of the busiest emergency rooms in Quebec, which had to close in September 2021 for lack of staff, seems to have found the solution to an extreme occupancy rate which was close to 300% less than a year.

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Since January, the stretcher occupancy rate has remained stable at 125%, and 14 nurses who had left the emergency room to work in another department or in another establishment have returned.

What explains this success? A new way of managing human resources, and the establishment of a team dedicated to solving problems that affect the functioning of the emergency.

“We are very proud of the situation, it is a team effort. What made the big difference from January onwards was the establishment of an intervention team that takes care of solving problems as soon as they arise. It is made up of doctors, nurses, people on the units, home support,” explains Dominique Pilon, director of hospital activities at the Hôpital du Suroît.

In addition to this team, schedule management has also greatly improved. Management tries to accommodate employees in order to offer them shifts that suit them and make their lives easier.

Compulsory overtime (TSO) is hardly used anymore, we rather speak of voluntary overtime, a concept that makes all the difference for the staff.

“We are also talking regarding autonomous preparation of schedules, employees are currently deciding on their schedule. They do one weekend out of two, out of three. Some are twelve hours, others are eight hours. It’s much better for the work climate and all that helps with a much lower occupancy rate, ”explains Carine Durocher, head of the emergency department interviewed at TVA Nouvelles.

The management is so efficient that 14 nurses who had left the emergency department have returned to work there.

“There is a better working climate, better conditions, and ultimately, better quality of care,” adds Ms. Durocher.