PEOPLE will have better access to a range of health-care services as decanting moves start for two new cardiac catheterization suites, a second interventional radiology suite and a new renal hemodialysis building at Surrey Memorial Hospital as progress continues on 30 actions to support patients and health-care providers.
“Since June 2023, Fraser Health and the Ministry of Health have collaborated with staff and medical staff to move quickly on solutions we committed to in our 30-point plan to meet the evolving care needs of Surrey’s growing population,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, on Thursday.
“People living in Surrey will start noticing the changes and experience better care as we make substantial progress on key actions to improve Surrey Memorial Hospital and connect patients to heart, kidney and other complex care south of the Fraser.”
In the coming weeks, pre-construction will begin for a new standalone renal hemodialysis facility located on the northwestern corner of the Surrey Memorial Hospital campus. It will feature state-of-the-art equipment and will be able to treat more patients with kidney disease by adding 21 new renal services beds, bringing the total to 60. Construction is expected to be complete in 2025 with operations to begin soon after.
Planning and design work is nearly complete and decanting moves are underway for the new cardiac catheterization suites and interventional radiology suites that will be located in the Critical Care Tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital. These expanded services will allow patients to stay closer to home for cardiac and interventional radiology procedures and the hospital will begin serving as one of two regional cardiac catheterization centres for Fraser Health.
In addition, 13 completed actions and 17 in-progress actions are already benefiting patients, families and staff, as well as medical staff at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Highlights include:
* expanded internal medicine bed capacity from 30 beds to 90 beds;
* implemented a Child and Youth Mental Health Emergency Response Team for Surrey Memorial Hospital and Fraser South;
* filled all 15 relational security officer positions at Surrey Memorial Hospital that are now working to prevent and respond to workplace violence, emphasizing customer service, trauma-informed practices and cultural humility and safety;
* recruited 21 resident clinical associates to support the work of hospitalists and internal medicine physicians;
* recruited 75 internationally educated nurses to enhance staffing levels at Surrey Memorial Hospital;
* recruited 70 physicians to work at Surrey Memorial Hospital;
* hiring 117 new nursing graduates and 164 employed student nurses at Surrey Memorial Hospital;
* implemented an expanded overflow waiting area for Surrey Memorial Hospital’s pediatric emergency department;
* opened a new transitional housing space that provides accommodations for patients who require a short stay in a transitional housing environment; and
* enhanced Fraser Health’s successful in-house learning institute to close critical gaps in allied staff and nursing. More than 50 additional nursing seats have been enrolled to date and the Health Career Access Program in acute has expanded to 66 program seats from 50.
“The dynamic growth and transformation of the Surrey community underscore the importance of the significant strides we have taken in implementing our 30 priority actions,” said Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO, Fraser Health. “These actions are laying the foundation for expanded, accessible health services to support our patients and their families, while equipping our staff and medical staff to deliver exceptional care for many years to come. I appreciate the continued partnership of the Ministry of Health and our staff and medical staff for their steadfast dedication to completing this vital work.”
Fraser Health has also made significant progress to support women and babies at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Highlights include:
* Launching the Families and Babies Program to connect eligible families with midwives at Surrey Memorial Hospital who provide resources, education and support. The program reduces the length of a patient’s hospital stay and improves access and flow in the Family Birthing Unit.
* Starting work to transform six single-occupancy rooms in the Family Birthing Unit to double-occupancy post-partum rooms, which will provide six additional patient-care spaces for post-partum care. Upon completion, this project will increase the Family Birthing Unit’s bed capacity from 42 to 48 beds, helping support more families with accessing the care they need.
“We are very grateful to the staff and medical staff at Surrey Memorial Hospital as well as our operational and community partners for their dedication to the health and well-being of our patients and their families,” said Marietta Van Den Berg, site medical director, Surrey Memorial Hospital. “We are all collaborating to bring the new roles and services to fruition, whilst still providing care to our patients. We are committed to making Surrey Memorial Hospital a great place to receive care and a great place to work.”
Over the long term, actions with active planning underway to support Surrey Memorial Hospital include adding a new MRI and CT scanner with cardiac capabilities to increase access to diagnostic services, as well as renovating existing operating rooms to expand capacity.
“We are committed to continue improving health care in Surrey and I want to thank all of the health staff and physicians at Surrey Memorial Hospital for having met with me last summer over six days of discussions to identify these 30 actions we now have underway to support the health-care teams and patients at Surrey Memorial Hospital,” added Dix.
Learn More:
To learn about the progress on the short-, medium- and long-term efforts underway to support patients and health-care workers in Surrey, visit:Â https://www.fraserhealth.ca/
To learn about the June 2023 announcement regarding actions to improve health-care services in Surrey, visit:Â https://news.gov.bc.ca/
