The probe into the Lakeshore General Hospital's ER, as ordered by Health Minister Christian Dubé back in February, has been made public. The independent report by Francine Dupuis began after reports of six preventable deaths since 2019 surfaced in the media.
The report aimed to find ways to improve the state of Lakeshore's Emergency Room. A troubling case reported by the Gazette detailed the suicide of a former police officer after being left unattended on a stretcher for fourteen hours.
Dupuis met with 70 members of management and staff and has made 135 recommendations. They are divided into themes that include better communication, decentralizing tasks, and quality assurance. A key mention was made of the state of the hospital's facilities and that renovations must be made to prevent further tragedies. Communication problems were brought to the report's forefront, and tensions between management and employees led to pointing fingers.
The CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal announced that the emergency department will be temporarily housed in a modular building from November onwards. The hope is that the new facility will provide the population and employees with an ER that complies with standards and additional stretchers.
Dupuis declared at Thursday's press conference that Lakeshore's mortality rates are the second highest amongst Montréal-area community hospitals. The timeline in place for implementing these recommendations has not yet been established.
SOURCE: The Canadian Press
