Like most hospitals across Ontario, Hôpital Montfort, an academic hospital in Ottawa, struggles with an ever-increasing number of patients waiting to be transferred outside of the hospital for an “alternate level of care" (ALC). To increase capacity in the hospital, Montfort began transferring ALC patients to a dedicated 20-bed unit at Beacon Heights Retirement Residence in Ottawa's Gloucester neighbourhood, located 4.5 km away from the hospital.
Montfort started transferring patients to the seniors' residence at the end of January 2023, not unlike some other hospitals across the province have started doing as well. What differentiates this initiative from other similar ones in the region is the partnership with the residence for staffing: patients remain under the care of Montfort physicians, but day-to-day care is provided by nurses and care assistants from the residence.
“It's a huge task with a lot of details," says Maggie Paquette, Manager of Planning and Transformation, who is part of the project. “We've basically recreated an entire care unit outside of the hospital from scratch, working with an external partner," she adds. “It requires a lot of adjustment in terms of the policies and procedures that need to be put in place to provide a care environment that is safe and appropriate for our patients."
The decision to relocate patients from Montfort is made after careful consideration, focusing on patients whose acute care needs have been resolved and who can now be safely cared for in another environment – patients who require an alternate level of care. The transfer to the residence allows these patients to benefit from a living environment better suited to their current needs.
Beacon Heights Residence has created a living environment tailored to the needs of low-acuity, low-risk patients, which is more appropriate than hospital rooms for ALC patients. It is important to note that once a Montfort patient has been transferred to Beacon Heights Residence, they do not lose their priority on the waiting list for access to the long-term care home or other residence of their choice.
So far, Montfort has transferred 16 patients to the residence and will gradually transfer more. Things are going well – patients say they enjoy the environment at Beacon Heights, the natural light, the extra space they have in their rooms, and they feel safe there. In addition, it has helped avoid overflow at the hospital.
“We're still in the process of stabilizing things, and the Montfort team is on board and giving their 100 per cent," says Maggie Paquette. “We couldn't have done it without the great work of the Montfort staff, and the involvement of the project steering committee. The Beacon Heights team is also on board and finds solutions quickly; they want to make it work as much as we do. Truly, I want to thank every person and team involved in the realization of this project."
Next on the agenda is creating a common room for patients in the Beacon Heights unit with financial support from the Montfort Foundation. It will serve as a designated place for entertainment, where they will be able to watch television, socialize and eat outside of their room.
Funding for these beds is made possible with the financial support of the Ontario Ministry of Health.