Waterloo Regional Health Network Achieves Landmark Reduction in Ambulance Offload Times

Kitchener, ON, September 16, 2025 — The Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) is proud to announce a significant and sustained reduction in ambulance offload times, achieving a new standard of timely and equitable access to emergency care for the community. This is due to the hard work of WRHN Team Members and our Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services partners and is one of the early benefits already realized by the merger of the two hospitals.

This achievement marks a dramatic improvement from just a year ago, with the Midtown site (formally known at Grand River Hospital KW Campus) reducing its average offload time from 107 minutes in April 2024 to just 28 minutes, and the Queen's Blvd. site (formally known as St. Mary’s General Hospital) dropping from 83 minutes to 27 minutes during the same period. This success has been maintained for five consecutive months. As of June 30, 2025, WRHN has not only met but has also consistently maintained its ambitious goal of a 30-minute offload time for the 90th percentile of patients.

“Prior to the merger officially occurring, the urgency to solve the increasing offload times across the region was apparent,” says Brandon Douglas, Vice President, Patient Care & Queen’s Blvd. Site Lead. “With the Emergency Departments (EDs) of our two legacy hospitals coming together ahead of the merger under one VP portfolio in January of 2025, it allowed for the strategy and its priority to be deployed across both EDs, building from what was already working at either site. We are very proud of the work our teams have done in such a short time and have been able to sustain despite increasing system pressures.”

Leveraging the same technology within WRHN’s joint Electronic Medical Record (EMR), introducing standardized processes, as well as socializing the fundamental concept that the offload area was a ‘horizontal waiting room’ and not a place to stay and be treated, Douglas adds: “These were all key drivers leading to a successful Ambulance offload strategy. Given this is not a unique problem to WRHN, learning from other successful hospital EDs across the province helped inform local initiatives as well.”

WRHN's quality improvement team spearheaded this initiative, working closely with frontline team members to identify and address key barriers. The team's analysis revealed several critical issues contributing to delays. To solve these challenges, the team implemented several strategic changes:

• The charge nurse and offload nurse roles were uncoupled at the Queen's Blvd. site, allowing for dedicated attention to patient offloads.

• A virtual waiting room was created within the EMR system to better manage patient flow.

• A protocol was established to ensure that offload beds were used exclusively for their intended purpose, reducing the number of patients being treated in them.

• The organizational surge trigger was lowered to 15, allowing for a quicker response to high-demand periods.

Teamwork between WRHN and the Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services was essential for learning from what was working at each ED site (Midtown and Queen’s Blvd.) and using the valuable lessons to successfully apply a strategy across the board to implement the changes that resulted in these significant improvements.

“Reducing offload delays plays a critical role in getting our paramedics back on the road to respond to the next call quickly,” says John Riches, Chief, Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services. “We value the strong partnership with WRHN team members and senior leaders, who have collaborated with us to improve offload efficiency. Thank you for your ongoing dedication to caring for the community."

"This achievement is a direct result of our quality improvement initiatives and the tireless dedication of our entire team, from frontline staff to leadership, says Ron Gagnon, President and CEO, Waterloo Regional Health Network. “By tackling the systemic barriers that contributed to long waits, we've not only met but sustained our goal of getting patients into the care they need in a timely manner. This milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to our community's health and safety.”

This transformative effort was a collaborative success, driven by the dedication of the Emergency Department teams and supported by the broader organization. WRHN remains committed to continuous improvement, ensuring that every patient receives the highest standard of care when they need it most.

All of these efforts have kept the focus on treating patients where, when and how they need it.

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About Waterloo Regional Health Network  

Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN, pronounced wren) represents the merger of two Hospitals into a single, integrated healthcare organization. Built on over 90 years of partnership, WRHN is home to seven regional programs and comprehensive healthcare services to meet the current and emerging needs in Waterloo-Wellington and beyond. WRHN is redefining the healthcare experience through collaboration and innovation, addressing barriers to access, advancing care delivery, and setting new standards in compassionate, empowered, community-driven healthcare. At WRHN, every patient is at the centre of everything we do as we strive to improve lives, inspire healing, and build healthier, stronger communities.  

Learn more at WRHN.ca.  

Media Contact: 
Cassandra Easton
Public Affairs Lead
Waterloo Regional Health Network  
cassandra.easton@wrhn.ca  
519-584-5548