Acute Care Alberta (ACA) has made 16 recommendations tied to the death of 44-year-old Prashant Shreekumar, who died while waiting for care at Edmonton’s Grey Nuns Community Hospital.
More staff and more accountability were highlighted in the recommendations stemming from Shreekumar’s death. He went to the Grey Nuns emergency department in December complaining of chest pains and died after waiting eight hours to see a doctor.
The recommendations looked at vulnerabilities in the health-care system, such as prolonged wait times in the emergency department, overcrowding, and clinical decision support.
They included:
Both these recommendations are dependent on securing capital and permanent operational funding, according to the ACA.
An accountability framework was also recommended to look at clear performance measures. This includes the time from arrival at the emergency department to getting care, the time it takes to see an emergency room doctor, and the time to consult/discharge.
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Varinder Bhullar, spokesperson for the Shreekumar family, said while the recommendations focus on capacity issues, the lack of any concrete deadlines or funding for the recommendations is concerning.
“This budget has already passed, so do we have to wait for the next year’s budget? Or will they have some interim budget to address those issues and concerns?” Bhullar told Global News.
The review was also dated Jan. 14 of this year, raising questions on why it took almost two months to be made public.
“If the report sat on someone’s desk for two months, that’s very, I would say, unethical.” Bhullar said. “Is it the same report? Or has the report been changed over the two months?”
Global News reached out to Matt Jones, minister for Hospitals and Surgical Health Services, for comment on the recommendations and to clarify the report’s timeline.
In a statement, Jones did not address the timeline but said Acute Care Alberta is working with service providers to carry out recommendations from several reviews, including one by Covenant Health, which operates the Grey Nuns hospital.
“All review recommendations will be utilized to implement systemic improvements that strengthen patient safety,” Jones said. “Our thoughts remain with all families affected by adverse events, and we are committed to ensuring patient safety remains our highest priority.”
The full list of recommendations can be found here.
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