'It’s lunacy': B.C. nurses told to call 911 when no ER doctors on shift

One of B.C.’s health authorities had a plan to keep a hospital ER room open despite having no doctors to cover the department by demanding family doctors attend to any of their patients and ordering unsupervised nurses to call 911.

One of B.C.’s health authorities had a plan to keep a hospital emergency room open despite having no physicians to cover the department by demanding family doctors attend to any of their patients and ordering unsupervised nurses to call 911 for those in medical distress.

CTV News has obtained a memo sent to doctors and administrators at the Bulkley Valley District Hospital in Smithers on Friday titled “No physician BVDH ER Coverage Mitigation Plan.” It includes instruction to call “the responsible family physician of all attached patients that present” to attend them in the hospital when there would be no doctors on shift.

Nurses alone in the emergency department “will be able to provide comfort measures and some first aid…or phone 911 if the person presenting is in immediate medical distress.” 

When CTV News asked to speak with a senior official about the situation, a Northern Health spokesperson replied via email, saying the unfilled shifts are now covered and that hospital's emergency department had remained open as closing it is a “last resort” they are working to avoid.

“Recruitment and retention in rural communities continues to be a challenge, and we recognize that shortages of staff – especially those are trained in providing emergency department care – is affecting many communities across B.C.,” they added.

Just last week, a shortage of hospitalist doctors resulted in some Nanaimo patients receiving a letter from staff informing them that even though they had a bed, nurses alone would be caring for them as there wasn’t a doctor available to oversee their care.