An inside look at the ER of Canada's largest pediatric hospital as RSV surges

It's the exhaustion on parents' faces that hits you first.

CBC News got exclusive access to the emergency department and ICU at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, Canada's largest pediatric medical centre, as it and other hospitals across the country grapple with what one doctor called "a perfect storm" of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The stress of the recent surge is not only taking its toll on families. It's also having an impact on staff, already depleted and worn down by three years of COVID-19. The long waits are creating tension and angry outbursts directed at nurses and others.

"I've been a nurse for about 12 years now and this is ... by far been the most challenging year," said Lindsay Stewart Leger, a charge nurse in the emergency department.

Harassment against health-care workers in Canada has been growing for years. A 2021 paper in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) called for action on escalating violence. It cited a 2017 survey in which 68 per cent of registered practical nurses and personal support workers reported experiencing violence on the job at least once that year.

At the front entrance to the SickKids emergency department, two security guards stand ready to deal with frustrated parents. Stewart Leger understands why the parents are frustrated but feels it's a reality families have to expect and accept.

"Understand that just because you're in line before someone else doesn't mean you're going to get seen before that child. There can be lots of reasons why we pull children out there, medical history, something subtle that we're seeing that we're not happy with or concerned about," she said.

On a tour of the ER with division head Dr. Jason Fischer, the rooms are full and the sound of coughing and babies crying fill the hallway.

A mother, worn by fatigue, tries to rock her baby in a car seat. Others, in the waiting room, try to distract their children with games and colouring books.

Fischer describes what the hospital has been experiencing for weeks as "unprecedented."

"It's really been a perfect storm of different factors,"  he said.

Demand on some days has been so high that the hospital set up an overflow waiting area in the cafeteria. Doctors have also taken over the nearby orthopedic clinic to open up more beds for patients.

"This emergency department was designed for 65,999 visits a year. And this year, if we follow the trajectory, we'll have over 90,000 visits," Fischer said.

Data obtained from the hospital shows that between Oct. 3 and Nov. 7 there were 8,877 visits, a 21 per cent increase over the same time period three years ago. The average wait time in the emergency department was three times longer than in October 2019, with some patients waiting up to 12 hours.