As part of the 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, Council approved the Response Time Performance Plan as a key element of the Building Our Future pillar. The Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Services (GWPS) is committed to reaching these targets, with patients’ wellbeing a top priority.
GWPS uses a smart deployment strategy. It moves ambulances to pre-determined areas as others respond to emergency calls. It does this while working with hospital staff to speed up care for patients at local hospitals.
Following the Canadian Triage Acuity Scale (CTAS), GWPS seeks to improve its response times in all levels of required care. Although ambulance offload delays did continue, they occurred less frequently and were shorter in duration. The City remains optimistic that the processes put in place will remain effective in the future.
The Community Paramedicine Program is also in place to offer non-emergency services to high-risk individuals in the community, effectively reducing the occurrence of emergencies and ensuring supportive care is given to avoid hospitalizations. Community paramedicine offers preemptive care for those with increased health risks such as independent living geriatrics, community social housing clinics, remote care monitoring and more. Results show this program is achieving its objectives and lessening the burden on the hospital system.
Paramedic response times are not an issue that exclusively applies to the GWPS. Many other paramedic units grapple with the increasing call volumes due to the worsening primary care crisis across Ontario. GWPS continues to aim high in achieving Council approved response targets. With continued investments, service enhancements will continue to be implemented.
