A critical shortage of doctors will see a weekend walk-in clinic in Exeter permanently close its doors at the end of the year.
Huron Health System (HHS) announced the "difficult" decision on Thursday. The closure of the South Huron Hospital’s weekend walk-in at the South Huron Medical Centre will take effect on December 29.
“We know how much our community relies on convenient access to care on weekends,” HHS President and CEO Jimmy Trieu said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the persistent shortage of physicians has led us to make this very difficult decision. Protecting patient safety and the quality of care must remain our priority.”
Hospital officials had spent the past year working to recruit physicians to staff the clinic, but despite those efforts the availability of doctors continued to decline both locally and nationally. This has resulted in an inability to safely and reliably staff the weekend service, HHS said. The organization will continue to prioritize staffing the local emergency department 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
People in need of non-urgent medical care on the weekend are advised to call 811 to speak with a registered nurse or access the province's Virtual Urgent Care Program at UrgentCareOntario.ca or by calling 1-844-227-3844. During the week, those without a family doctor can schedule an appointment at an unattached care clinic in their area. There are unattached care clinics in Exeter, Stratford, Listowel, Wingham, Goderich, and Zurich.
All other hospital services will remain unchanged, HHS reassured.
