ER in Mission closing overnight due to ‘staffing challenges’: Fraser health

An entrance to Mission Memorial Hospital is seen on Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022. (CTV)

The emergency department at Mission Memorial Hospital will not be accepting new patients starting at 5 p.m. Sunday, according to the health authority, which has announced another overnight closure at the facility.

Fraser Health, in a statement, said the 5 p.m. cut-off time will allow patients in the emergency room to be seen by a doctor before 11 p.m. before the physicians on duty end their shifts.

“During the service interruption, emergency-trained nurses will continue to be on site and available to support walk-in patients needing basic care, assist with re-direction of care, and/or transfer patients with urgent needs to a neighbouring hospital,” the health authority’s statement said.

The emergency department is set to reopen at 8 a.m. Monday.

While there no other emergency department closures have been announced in the region, Fraser Health said patients with “non-urgent” issues are likely to face long waits due to “high numbers of people seeking care and human resources challenges at many of our hospital emergency departments.”

Mission Memorial’s ER has closed overnight on multiple weekends this year—most recently on Halloween—due to a lack of available physicians, something the health authority acknowledged in Sunday’s statement.

“We recognize how important consistent access to emergency care is for the Mission community and we are actively working to address physician staffing gaps as they arise to maintain service continuity,” the notice from Fraser health said.

“Should further service interruptions become necessary, we will communicate this to the community in advance to support our patients and their families in feeling informed and prepared.”