PEIThe P.E.I. government has signed a new five-year agreement with Island EMS to modernize and improve emergency health services across the province.5-year agreement with province also adds committee that will oversee performanceThe agreement was ‘quite badly needed,’ says James Orchard, general manager of Island EMS and Medacom Atlantic. (Sheehan Desjardins/CBC)The P.E.I. government has signed a new five-year agreement with Island EMS aimed at modernizing and improving emergency health services across the province.Negotiations between the company and the provincial government had been going on for about a year. This marks the first overhaul of the deal since 2006. James Orchard, general manager of Island EMS and Medacom Atlantic, said the agreement was “quite badly needed” with call volumes increasing and health needs evolving.”There’s a general recognition that we have to be able to pivot to the changing needs of Islanders,” he said. “They change over time. They change at the community level, they change at the provincial level. “So what this [agreement] does is it allows for just a greater amount of flexibility in how we deliver our services.”The new deal reflects just how much has changed in emergency services and paramedicine over the past two decades, said Laurae Kloschinsky, assistant deputy minister for P.E.I.’s Department of Health and Wellness.Laurae Kloschinsky, assistant deputy minister for the Department of Health and Wellness, said the new deal is about ‘transparency, accountability, reporting and, ultimately, improved care for Islanders.’ (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)”The key with this agreement… is really an agreement of emergency services across P.E.I. focused on transparency, accountability, reporting, and ultimately improved care for Islanders,” she said.The deal covers ground ambulance services, inter-facility patient transfers, medical communications and dispatch, and community paramedicine.Orchard said the goal is to modernize how care is delivered across the province. “We’ve been able, over the past couple of years, to really change up our delivery model,” he said. “This really reinforces that and allows us to… look forward to the next decade and how we’re going to be delivering care.”Response timesAccording to the most recent provincial data, the median response time for ambulances in P.E.I. is 16 minutes and 13 seconds — a significant increase from about nine minutes in 2019.Orchard said there is some context to consider when it comes to response times.”There’s really only about 10 per cent of our cases that require that lights-and-sirens response… and time-sensitive medical emergencies,” he said.”We’re looking at the whole and just recognizing that we’re taking, in some cases, more time to get somebody connected to the care they need rather than just taking them to an [emergency department].”When it comes to time-sensitive emergencies, Orchard said, response times look “considerably better” — though he couldn’t say by how much. Kloschinsky said response times are only one measure of service.”It is a number that we always want to improve. But admittedly, we have to realize that it’s not the only way we can evaluate how we’re improving,” she said. Other indicators, she noted, include staffing levels, the use of electronic health records and how well information is shared between health providers to support continuity of care.New ambulance for capital regionUnder the new deal, a 24/7 emergency ambulance will be added in Charlottetown and Stratford to help respond to rising 911 call volumes. The new deal will see Island EMS add a 24/7 emergency ambulance serving Charlottetown and Stratford to help respond to rising 911 call volumes in the area. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)Kloschinsky said the area was chosen because of its population size, the volume of calls and patterns that showed an opportunity to add additional resources. But every ambulance is considered “a provincial ambulance,” Orchard said. “It may start its day in Charlottetown. It may spend the afternoon in O’Leary and end up in Montague.”New oversight committee, clinical support roleUnder the agreement, a new quality, safety and performance committee will be established to oversee how the services are performing.A clinical support role has also been created at the Island EMS dispatch centre to help patients get connected to the most appropriate care.Orchard said the agreement should have a positive effect on the company’s staff.”It will have a downstream effect on our paramedics, you know, their general mental health and… their workload throughout the day,” he said.The agreement also includes a redesigned cost-recovery funding model, performance standards, key performance indicators, government oversight and reporting requirements.The deal can be extended twice for an additional three years at each extension.It does not cover wages and benefits for paramedics, which are part of a collective agreement between CUPE and Island EMS. The province said in a news release that the contract expires in December, and negotiations are ongoing.With files from Sheehan Desjardins
New deal for Island EMS includes dedicated ambulance for Charlottetown and Stratford
