The alert applies to its cardio-vascular, cardiac and medical-surgical intensive care units

A downtown Toronto hospital has issued an alert for three intensive care units it says have either reached their total bed capacity or do not have enough staff to keep all beds open safely.

University Health Network says the alert applies to its cardio-vascular, cardiac and medical-surgical intensive care units at Toronto General Hospital.

A spokesperson for UHN says it took the action due to a staffing shortage and the hospital is actively triaging patients and working with the provincial organization that directs emergency critical care to ensure patients get the most appropriate treatment.

The hospital network says it must also ensure there are beds available on the impacted units for daily surgeries.

The critical care bed alert at Toronto General Hospital is the latest sign of Ontario’s continued health-care staffing crisis, with hospitals across the province forced to scale back or temporarily close emergency rooms and intensive care units.

Last month, UHN said it needed to enlist volunteer staff, medical residents and nursing students to help backstop one of its ERs during a weekend staffing crunch.

From our newsroom to your inbox at noon, the latest headlines, stories, opinion and photos from the Toronto Sun.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4

© 2022 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.