Nurse-patient ratios at B.C. hospitals set to expand in fall, says health minister

Sep 18, 2024 | 1:43 PM

VANCOUVER — British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix says minimum nurse-to-patient ratios meant to improve care and strengthen the health-care system have now been established for most hospital settings.

He says the nurse-to-patient ratios have been determined for more hospital settings, including emergency departments, maternity units and operating rooms.

Dix says the hospital program is part of a four-year government plan announced last March, with a target of hiring more than 8,000 nurses.

He says the nurse-to-patient ratios, the first of their kind in Canada, were reached with the B.C. Nurses Union, and set emergency department figures at one nurse for every three patients in general emergency and one nurse for every patient in trauma incidents.