Faster Ambulance Returns: KHSC and Frontenac Paramedics Team Up to Cut Wait Times

The hospital and the local paramedic service joined forces to speed up ambulance returns after delivering patients to the emergency department. The collaboration aims to get ambulances back on the road faster while keeping care smooth for patients. Data from this spring shows the unloading time is roughly 44 percent shorter than it was a year earlier, even though the facility is running near full capacity.

In spring 2025 the teams introduced a quick check to sort stable patients so they could wait in the waiting room instead of staying on the stretcher. Later they added a system where crews can register patients who can sit upright before a nurse sees them. A special nurse now looks after patients right after they leave the ambulance, letting the main triage nurses focus on those who need immediate care.

Patients and families have started leaving compliments for the emergency team. Many note the staff’s professionalism, kindness, and speed even when the ward is busy. The partnership also lets both sides look for new ways to improve flow using proven methods as demand rises across the country.

The leaders say there is still more work to do. Each small improvement helps patients feel better and ensures ambulances are ready when someone else calls for help. The goal is to keep refining the process so the community gets the best possible emergency service.