Elderly patient put in shower room bed for a month at Abbotsford Hospital

Gayle Duteil, President of the BC Nurses' Union says "all patients, young and elderly deserve quality, safe patient care and clearly that is not happening at Abbotsford Hospital. The health authority is legally required to hire more nurses, fill vacancies and replace nurses on leaves. Fraser Health must do that - now."

An elderly patient has spent the past month in a small shower room, with no toilet and no window at Abbotsford Hospital. Like many hospitals, it is overflowing with patients and has been for weeks.  Many are lining the halls, including a pediatric psychiatric patient who, until recently, spent 106 hours in the hallway in Emergency.

On Wednesday, the Abbotsford ER was overcapacity by 29 patients who were all waiting for beds in wards. Mission Hospital is also experiencing extreme overcapacity.

"Surely the executives of Fraser Health want to provide safe patient care, not just for this one poor fellow stuck in the shower room, but all patients in the region."