In June 2022, the Ottawa Paramedic Service and Hôpital Montfort launched a pilot program that integrates Primary Care Paramedics into Montfort's emergency department (ED). The program aims to reduce paramedic offload delays, increase the availability of paramedic resources in the community, and improve patient flow within the hospital.  

The program included four Primary Care Paramedics working 12-hour shifts in Montfort’s ED, providing 12-hour coverage, seven days a week. When an ambulance arrives, the patient’s care can be transferred from the transporting paramedic crew to the paramedic working in the ED. This allows the paramedic crew to return to the community so they can be available for the next call.  

While working in Montfort’s ED, each paramedic can monitor and care for up to four patients at once. The paramedics work within their professional scope of practice under the medical direction of an ED physician. The ED physician provides the paramedics with the authority to perform various medical procedures and diagnostic tests. This promotes improved patient offload, continuity of care, and patient flow within the hospital. Montfort is the first hospital in the city to implement this integrated approach.  

Daily, Montfort saw a reduction in paramedic offload delay in the ED. For example, over the course of one day in September, one paramedic eliminated over 30 hours of offload delay by caring for seven patients during their shift. 

Montfort covered the staffing costs of the Primary Care Paramedics working there. The program was initially piloted for a three-month period and owing to its success was extended to September 30, 2023. 

The partnership between the Ottawa Paramedic Service and Hôpital Montfort demonstrates the innovation and leadership of both organizations in responding to community needs, requests for service and an ever-changing healthcare landscape.  

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