Union asks province for solution to long wait times after death of nurse's mother, 82

The union representing Manitoba's nurses says it would welcome an in-depth review of what led to the death of an 82-year-old woman following more than 30 hours in Winnipeg emergency departments.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said they've asked the chief medical examiner to review the death of Genevieve Price at St. Boniface hospital this weekend.

The woman had initially gone to a minor injury clinic for a swollen hand, but the family said staff had told her she required IV antibiotic and more intensive care.

The provincial review would be in addition to Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's own investigation into the death, which has been ruled a critical incident.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said Thursday she welcomes a second investigation if it can come with solutions to what she said are systemic issues.

"It's not one person who didn't do their job: our system needs help," Jackson said. "We're failing patients right now. Patients are falling through the cracks."

Price had been transferred to St. Boniface from Grace Hospital. Her family said she had been waiting at a hallway at Grace for hours as her situation worsened.

Median wait times at the Grace and St Boniface emergency departments were higher than in all other Winnipeg hospitals as of September, according to the WRHA's website.

Half of all patients coming to those emergency rooms had to wait longer than six hours, respectively. The median wait time for all Winnipeg hospitals was just over four hours on average.

One in 10 patients waited longer than 15 hours at Grace and 13 hours in St. Boniface as of September.

Jackson said nurses at Grace Hospital had raised concerns earlier this week about not being able to keep up with patients.

"Thirty hours turned into more than two shift changes," she said. "So then there's three sets of people that had seen [Price] who didn't see what she was like when she came in and of course wouldn't realize the trend."

Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan and Premier Wab Kinew traded blame and hurled insults at each other after Khan raised the issue of wait times as well as Price and Chad Giffin's deaths during a testy question period exchange Thursday.

Asagwara told CBC Radio's Up to Speed later that day both deaths are unacceptable.