Alberta Health Services (AHS) has launched a new EMS-811 shared response program..On January 19, an official report found the wrong priority level was assigned during a 911 call after a fatal dog attack on a Calgary senior last year that led to a longer response time..The 157-page report said it was a series of factors, each contributing to the delay in EMS response..Betty Ann Williams, 86, died after she was attacked by several dogs in the alleyway behind her home in the 1500 block of 21 Avenue N.W. on June 5, 2022..READ MORE: Report finds communication errors during fatal Calgary dog attack.Williams died from her injuries while on the way to the hospital..The EMS response time for the dog attack was 30 minutes and 22 seconds. That's calculated from the time the EMS call taker entered the event into the CAD terminal until the first EMS unit arrived on the scene. From when the 911 call was made, EMS arrived 36 minutes and nine seconds later..The response time for the event from the time it was updated to a 'delta' event to arrival on scene was 11 minutes and 11 seconds..The UCP said the Shared Response Team will work to transfer non-urgent calls directly to an experienced 811 operator while urgent calls will continue to be taken care of through 911.."Every minute counts for Albertans with a serious medical urgency and providing dispatchers with the ability to assess a call and divert non urgent issues," Minister of Health Jason Copping said.."This change frees up paramedics to focus on life threatening and urgent calls. This has always been our top priority transferring calls to 811 will also help those who need support with non urgent conditions but don't know what to do or where to turn. Callers who are transferred to help link will speak with a registered nurse who will do a further assessment of the caller's situation. The nurse can then provide health advice and referrals as needed.".When Albertans call 911, a trained Emergency Communications Officer reassures the caller help is on the way while triaging patients similar to what happens in a hospital emergency department..When a 911 Emergency Communications Officer is confident a patient’s situation is best handled with alternate levels of care, they will transfer the call directly to a dedicated team of experienced registered nurses at 811 without entering the caller into a queue..The registered nurse will continue to assess the patient and situation to identify appropriate care options. 911 calls that are assessed as clinically appropriate for the new shared response system do not wait in the regular 811 queue and have a dedicated registered nurse for support. Callers are informed about this process, and if at any point it is determined an ambulance is required, an ambulance is dispatched..Non-urgent calls account for about 10% to 20% of the total 911 call volume, depending on the area. That means that, with the EMS-811 Shared Response team in use, about 40,000 non-emergency responses could be avoided each year..AHS said the new approach means more ambulances will be available to respond where they are needed most while ensuring all Albertans maintain access to the appropriate levels of care they need and priority actions underway to lower EMS response times in the province..“Empowering dispatchers to divert non-urgent calls to a dedicated team of experienced nurses within 811 when clinically appropriate is a win for Albertans," Copping said.."Everyone will have access to the appropriate level of care they need when they need it. The new approach makes our EMS system more responsive to the needs of Albertans.”
