Wade Smith, owner of Smith's Ambulance Services, says in his 30 years in the industry current emergency room wait times are the worst he's ever seen. (Jeremy Eaton/CBC)Long emergency room wait times at hospitals in St. John's aren't just affecting patients, doctors and nurses — it's also affecting paramedics, says the owner of an ambulance company. Wade Smith, owner of Smith's Ambulance Services in Whitbourne, told CBC News he's seeing a backlog of eight to 10 stretchers in emergency room hallways some days, with no patient privacy. Smith said that patient waited in the back of an ambulance for six hours waiting to get a bed inside of the hospital. Wade Smith says paramedics sometimes wait eight to nine hours to offload patients at emergency rooms in St. John's.

Source: CBC News July 22, 2021 10:30 UTC