Quinte Health Care has opened a “satellite Intensive Care Unit” as demand for ICU services is consistently higher than the regular 14 bed unit can handle.
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Carol Smith Romeril told QHC’s Board of Directors Tuesday that the satellite ICU has been functioning since early this month on a regular patient care space 5 floors above the regular unit.
“It is functional and is bringing our ICU capacity up to 18 beds but it is far from ideal. We really need a renovated and bigger Intensive Care Unit The sooner we can get moving on the project the better,” said Romeril.
Quinte Health Care has drawn up plans for a bigger ICU and those are awaiting approval and funding from the province.
Chair of the Board of Directors Stuart Wright said “the provincial government knows about our need and it is urgent. We’re lucky one of the main people involved at the provincial level has a background working in hospitals and really understands what we’re talking about here. It’s a serious problem when we have trouble getting people into the ICU. It can cause congestion in the emergency department and cause overcrowding and other problems elsewhere.”
If all goes well, it’s hoped a larger, modernized Intensive Care Unit could be constructed next year some time.
A long term plan calls for a 22 bed ICU by 2025.
