Current funding projections would see London hospitals short 1,000 beds in a decade: CUPE

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Although the healthcare sector has struggled to keep pace with demand for several years, according to data from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU)), there are more people receiving hallway emergent care, and more shortfalls across the board than ever before.

According to Ontario Health data, the number of patients recieving treatment in hallways, storage closets and other atypical spaces has increased by 25 per cent since June 2018.

“The data paints a dire picture. There is a massive gap between what Ontarians need and what this government plans to do,” said Michael Hurley, president of OCHU/CUPE. “People are already paying the consequences for the Ontario PC policy of scarcity and it’s only going to get worse; we’ll see longer wait times, more patients on stretchers in hallways, and fewer staff to provide care.”

Despite recent funding announced by the province with plans to increase capacity by 3,000 beds, according to OCHU/CUPE’s recent report, projected healthcare spending will create a gap in funding that will result in a shortfall of nearly 14,000 beds, and 80,000 staff by 2032.

Here in London, that translates to a shortfall of 1,000 beds in the city in the coming decade.

Hurley said that demand for health services in London is increasing not only due to an aging population, but also due to people seeking specialized care in the urban hub, “Because of hospital restructuring that’s gone on, a lot of acute care services are headquartered now in the city of London and people are travelling many many kilometers to come here for care – and as a result, your hospitals are overwhelmed.”

The report says that the province needs to invest an additional $2 billion annually in order to maintain current levels of service.

Doug Allen, researcher with CUPE was adamant; the investment is a smart one, “the funding increase that we’re asking for this year is actually less than the actual funding increase that was won last year, so this isn’t actually out of the realm of the extraordinary, it’s just not cutting hospital funding, as the plan is.”