Staffing shortages are once again being blamed for ongoing temporary closures at the emergency department at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool.
Darlene Davis, the executive director for community and rural health for Nova Scotia Health’s western zone, said Thursday it boils down to not enough doctors or nurses, despite hiring efforts to bolster the Queens ER in the past year. She said they have a “significant vacancy rate” at Queens, which needs 10 more nurses in its emergency department alone.
According to numbers provided by Nova Scotia Health, temporary closures affected the Queens General emergency department for 13 days in November, 15 in December, and 11 so far in January.
