“An appalling failure to plan:” new research report to reveal huge hospital capacity shortfall in Ontario and additional beds and staff required in Peterborough

“An appalling failure to plan:” new research report to reveal huge hospital capacity shortfall in Ontario and additional beds and staff required in Peterborough

PETERBOROUGH, ON – For the past two years, health minister Sylvia Jones has repeatedly stated the government’s plan to add 3,000 staffed hospital beds by 2032. But a new report shows that this will be woefully insufficient and will exacerbate overcrowding in hospitals based on projected patient needs.

Citing latest information from CIHI, Statistics Canada, and other sources, the report also shows worrying trends in the sector including a 17 per cent increase in job vacancies over the past year and a decline in hospital bed capacity since 2019.

CUPE will release the full findings of the report at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, including the funding required, bed capacity and staff required for Peterborough County just to maintain current levels of inadequate service.

Who: Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE) and Doug Allan, senior researcher at CUPE National

What: Media conference to release findings of research report on the hospital capacity and staffing crisis

Where: Peterborough Public Library, 345 Aylmer St N, Peterborough, ON K9H 3V7

When: 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 11

For more information, contact:
Zaid Noorsumar
CUPE Communications
znoorsumar@cupe.ca
647-995-9859