Milton hospital gets extra funding for unloading ambulance patients

A program that sees staff dedicated to unloading ambulance patients at Milton District Hospital has seen increased funding from the Province.

In August, the Ministry of Health advised Halton Region they would be receiving an additional $417,400. Staff are recommending the funds be used to expand the dedicated ambulance patient offload position at MDH to proved 24/7 services.

A report that will be discussed at the next Halton Region council meeting recommends the additional Provincial funding be utilized to expand the dedicated ambulance patient offload position at the Milton District Hospital site.

“Increasing offload delays will impact the Paramedic Services Division’s ability to maintain service levels, and could result in increased response times to life-threatening emergency calls,” reads the report.

The additional dedicated ambulance patient offload position funding being proposed is the most cost-effective method to limit the impact of offload delay.

The additional Provincial funding for the 2023/24 fiscal year is sufficient to fund the 24/7 dedicated ambulance patient offload position at the Milton District Hospital site until March 31, 2024.

The Region has been partially funding the program since 2015, with the last three years coming in right around $350,000 per year.

If the Provincial funding level is maintained for 2024/25, to maintain this level of service Halton Region would be required to continue to fund a portion of the dedicated ambulance patient offload position, but at a reduced level, projected to be approximately $75,000 annually.