WINDSOR, ONT. -- Windsor Regional Hospital officials are once again asking for patience when it comes to rescheduling hundreds of postponed appointments due to COVID-19.
The surgical procedures were postponed when capacity restrictions were put in place in March due to the pandemic.
“As we have stated previously, this will be a gradual and incremental restoration of more elective surgeries which will take many weeks, especially when you consider the volume of procedures that needed to be rescheduled and the need for pre-operative care that has been on hold,” said WRH Chief of Staff Dr. Wassim Saad.
Windsor Regional Hospital is currently working at 30 per cent capacity, or about four operating rooms per site.
On May 28, WRH and regional acute care hospitals announced plans to gradually begin rescheduling elective and non-urgent surgical and clinical procedures, programs and clinics, after the Ontario government lifted its previous directive restricting services.
The hospitals of the Erie-St. Clair West region initiated a regional plan to safely reopen and reschedule various appointments.
This easing of the provincial directive called for a gradual and incremental implementation of carefully thought-out resumption of scheduled cases.
Since that time, bed capacity has tightened, reaching above the 85 per cent occupancy level.
In its latest instructions this week, the government has mandated that hospitals reserve at least 10 per cent of its beds for any potential surge in COVID-19 cases.
Hospital officials say this government directive further underlines the need at WRH and partner hospitals to closely monitor surgery caseload so that they do not exceed volumes and resources.
Saad said it will take the hospital anywhere between 12 and 18 months to catch up.
“We have a committee that was struck at the hospital that is looking at all of the cases that have been postponed,” he said. It’s been divided by surgical sections so general surgery has a list, orthopaedic surgery has a list, neurosurgery has a list and so on. They are prioritizing it based on an ethical framework and based on clinical importance.
At the same time, they say surgeons’ offices are dealing with a significant increase in calls from patients asking about when their procedures will be booked.
While we understand patients are anxious to have their postponed procedures rescheduled, WRH is reminding patients that they will be notified directly of opportunities to reschedule surgeries and other appointments by their surgeon’s office.
Officials say please do not contact the hospital, or surgeons’ offices, about a postponed appointment. Surgeons continue to look at their cases and prioritizing who can be scheduled first.
“Please be patient while we take the steps necessary to continue a safe, slow and incremental approach to gradually addressing the needs of all of our patients and their loved ones,” said Saad.
