ER down to 1 doctor for 185 hours over holidays

A 75-year-old woman says she waited seven hours in Brandon’s ER last month before she was assessed by a doctor who told her the department was down to single-physician coverage that evening.

Brandon resident Bev Storie told the Sun she tried to avoid going to the ER at the Brandon Regional Health Centre on Dec. 20 by setting up a virtual appointment through QDoc regarding a suspected bladder infection.

“When I realized there was going to be quite a wait with QDoc, I did go on the Health Links as well,” Storie said.

“I was hoping all I needed was antibiotics.”

Storie guessed it was “bad timing” because she was put on a patient waitlist for both 24-7 online health-care services. She made the decision to go to the ER around 9:20 p.m. when she noticed blood in her urine.

The ER at the Brandon hospital was down to single-physician coverage for a total of 185 hours over the holidays in December, according to a Prairie Mountain Health memorandum obtained by The Brandon Sun.

The memorandum, which was emailed to staff, including rural ER physicians on Dec. 19, said the ER “continues to experience significant physician shortages, that will likely continue for the foreseeable future.”

The email showed only one doctor was on shift during specific hours between Dec. 19 and Dec. 31. The longest doctor shortages were from 3:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve to 3:30 p.m. on Christmas Day and from midnight on Dec. 25 to 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 27.

The memorandum confirmed there was single-physician coverage between 8 p.m. on Dec. 20 — about an hour before Storie arrived at the ER — until 7:30 a.m. the next day.

Storie said she has had bladder infections before, but this was the first time she has seen blood in her urine. ER staff told her it was possible she had kidney stones. “So, it was a good thing that I came in,” she said.

She provided a urine sample around 10:30 p.m. and got her blood drawn around midnight. Her pain continued to worsen, but she declined to take medication offered by nurses to manage her discomfort, she said.

Storie described the ER waiting room that evening as packed with children and people who appeared to be seeking warmth from the cold weather.

A nurse took her to a patient bed around 3 a.m., she said.

“(The nurse) just apologized, you know, for the delay, and she said that she was actually working a double shift because there was a nurse shortage,” Storie said.

It wasn’t until 4:30 a.m. when a doctor assessed Storie and provided her with a prescription for antibiotics. The doctor told her she would be contacted in a few days if they noticed any abnormalities in her samples, she said.

The doctor was also apologetic for the long wait time, but Storie said she understood and appreciated the hard-working health-care staff who were “so kind and caring.”

A spokesperson for Prairie Mountain Health said in a statement that the ER in Brandon remained open and staff provided emergency treatment to all patients who required care over the holidays.

“Staffing can vary at times, and on a few shifts, a single physician worked with the care team and on-call supports to ensure patients were seen promptly,” the statement said.

Storie’s seven-hour wait time was close to the norm in recent months, according to regional health authority data.

In November and December 2025, 90 per cent of patients at the Brandon ER were assessed by a physician within seven to seven and a half hours from registration to the initial physician assessment, the statement from Prairie Mountain said.

During the period from Dec. 19 to 31, daily wait times fluctuated both slightly above and below the November to December average due to changes during the holiday period, the statement said.

Doctors Manitoba President Dr. Nichelle Desilets said in a statement that it’s disappointing to hear that the Brandon ER was “once again” down to single-physician coverage during the holiday season.

“This is the biggest ER outside of Winnipeg and it should have full physician coverage to ensure western Manitobans have timely care for medical emergencies,” said Desilets, who’s also a family physician in Neepawa.

The memorandum from Prairie Mountain Health also states that emergency medical service providers were directed to transport patients to the nearest ER under specific circumstances to manage patient wait times in Brandon.

The email states EMS crews were able to contact the physician on-call if they felt the patient required care at the Brandon hospital.

“We realize this may result in additional patients presenting to the open ERs surrounding Brandon, both by ambulance and walk-in,” the PMH memorandum said.

“The intent is in no way meant to overwhelm any one facility/ER, but rather to spread the patients amongst multiple sites.”

Storie said having a 24-7 walk-in clinic in Brandon could have saved her several hours of waiting in an ER.

The Brandon Minor Injury and Illness Clinic is open daily until 10 p.m. for people who are experiencing flu-like symptoms, minor fractures, sprains or strains, rashes, painful urination, abdominal pain and more. Walk-in services are available, but could be limited, according to the regional health authority.

Wendy Omilanow, who worked in the Brandon ER in 2024, said she checked on a patient with a mental illness who had been waiting for more than 15 hours to be seen by a doctor.

Her role with Peer Connections Manitoba, a non-profit organization, was to be the first point of contact with people experiencing mental health issues, addiction, suicidal ideations, chronic health issues or homelessness.

“Some shifts I’ve walked into, it’s like the place is on fire. The waiting room is full. People are standing. The nurse is coming out saying, ‘If you are not a patient here to see an ER doctor, please give up your seat,’” Omilanow said.

People experiencing mental health issues may have to wait longer to be assessed by a psychiatrist in an ER, she said.

She empathized with the ER staff who were frequently overwhelmed with stress and patient workloads and wished there were more resources and funding to properly staff ERs.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com