UPDATE: Improvements to Alberta’s EMS system
Alberta Health Services (AHS) has been working to improve provincial emergency medical services (EMS) based on feedback it received through the Alberta EMS Provincial Advisory Committee, the PricewaterhouseCoopers Dispatch Review Report, AHS’ service planning process, and other engagements.
Several programs and initiatives have been put in place to help reduce EMS response times. Thanks to these changes, and the formidable efforts of frontline staff, response times in April have decreased by eight minutes in Calgary, by four minutes in Edmonton and Red Deer, and by about two minutes in Fort McMurray and Medicine Hat.
These are early results, but response times are expected to continue to decline. AHS is also seeing a reduction in the need for metropolitan and urban settings to draw on the resources of surrounding communities, so there have also been improvements in community coverage that extend beyond metropolitan city limits.
All of these efforts are captured in the 2023-24 EMS Operating Plan, which details strategic initiatives including Medical First Response, dispatch improvements, workforce strategies, and much more. Informed by reports and service plan inputs, the operating plan is designed to implement projects over the next 12 months in priority sequence to have the greatest impact on improving response times. This plan will also form the basis of what AHS reports on and how the agency is accountable to Albertans.
As community leaders, you may receive questions about EMS and recent actions to improve response times. Please do not hesitate to reach out to AHS at community.engagement [at] ahs.ca (community[dot]engagement[at]ahs[dot]ca) with any questions or concerns. Visit the AHS website or review this presentation to learn more about its actions and updates.
