The Middletown City Council is calling for change after the death of a patient at Soldiers Memorial Hospital

Local officials in Middleton, NS, are calling on the county government to improve emergency services at Soldiers Memorial Hospital following a recent patient death.

Paramedics and firefighters responded to a call last Thursday about a patient going into cardiac arrest while the doctor on duty was not on scene.

City officials say it’s a symptom of a failing system, but the health authority says staff followed the normal process.

In a letter to Prime Minister Tim Houston on Monday that was forwarded to CBC, Middleton Mayor Sylvester Atkinson writes that members of the Middleton Fire Department who were called to Soldiers Memorial assumed it was for a patient who arrived after the emergency department was closed for the night.

Instead, upon arrival, they learned that they were being called to assist a patient who had already been admitted and that a doctor was on his way from Kentville, NS

‘I find this very worrying’

Firefighters assisted paramedics with chest compressions on the patient and continued lifesaving measures until the doctor arrived, Atkinson writes, but the patient did not survive. In Middleton, the fire department is responding to all cardiac arrest calls.

“Our Middleton Fire Department, a volunteer municipal service, should not be called into a hospital to provide medical assistance to an inpatient,” Atkinson writes.

“A hospital is where people go to get medical treatment from health care professionals who work there — not volunteer firefighters.”

Scott Veinot, deputy chief of the fire department, raised the issue in a letter to Middleton City Council last Friday.

“I find this very concerning to know that not only is our emergency department failing our community, but our inpatients are now at risk because there is no doctor providing coverage to the medical department. Is this a new normal for the Soldiers Memorial Hospital?”

Employees followed the right process: NS Health

A Nova Scotia Health official offered his condolences to the patient’s family, but said that despite the tragic outcome, staff at the hospital followed proper procedure.

Darlene Davis is the Interim Executive Director of Rural and Community Health for the West Zone of the Health Authority. She said normal protocol in community hospitals when the doctor on duty is not on site is for staff to call the doctor and then 911 if they think they need help while waiting for the doctor to arrive.

Davis said it’s up to emergency responders to determine which responders are sent to a call, but said it’s not uncommon for paramedics to go to community hospitals for an emergency.

“We did an assessment today and in our assessment we don’t see anything that fell outside the normal process, so no further investigation is needed,” Davis said.

“The staff was exceptional. They did a great job that night.”

Soldiers Memorial’s emergency department has been operating at reduced hours for the past year due to a lack of doctors. Nova Scotia Health officials have said so a community gathering earlier this year in Middleton that it would take five to seven doctors to restore 24/7 service and that recruitment efforts continue.

In the meantime, people who require emergency services when the emergency department in Middleton is closed should travel to the regional hospitals in Kentville or Yarmouth, NS, or the emergency department in Digby, NS.

Carman Kerr, the liberal MLA for Annapolis, said county government and Nova Scotia Health officials are failing the community.

‘A heartbreaking story’

While not reflective of the staff working at the hospital, Kerr said, people should be concerned about the level of care available at Soldiers Memorial.

“I’m so concerned about this government saying they’re going to adapt healthcare to what we’re seeing on the ground,” he said.

“To have a patient die and not have access to timely medical care — to be asked to wait for volunteers or EHS to enter the building is just not understandable and I will not accept it.”

In a telephone interview, Prime Minister Tim Houston said he first saw the mayor’s letter on Tuesday and is awaiting further information.

“We know there are challenges in healthcare,” he said.

“We know there’s a lot of work to be done and no one wants to hear about adverse outcomes. It’s a heartbreaking story.”

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