24/7 Emergency Care

After arriving at ED, you register with the nurse. You will be called upon to see the triage nurse in order of arrival or based on the urgency of your case. The triage nurse will decide how quickly you need treatment by reviewing a history of your medical condition and a brief physical assessment.

We do our best to treat you as quickly as possible. There may be times when someone who arrived after you is treated first; it is because that person’s medical need may be more serious. The ED does not function on a first-come, first-serve basis; patients with the most serious conditions are seen first.

If you are able, consider making an appointment with your family doctor, at an urgent care centre, or going to a walk-in clinic to avoid waiting in the ED. 
 

Every effort is made to see you as quickly as possible. There may be times when your visit or wait to see a care provider in ED may be prolonged due to a high volume of patients seeking medical attention or more serious cases being treated ahead of you.

While you are waiting:

• If your condition changes and you begin to feel worse, tell the triage nurse at once. 
• Do not leave without telling the triage nurse or the volunteer. Leaving before being assessed may worsen your illness or condition. 
• Do not eat or drink anything before asking the triage nurse. Some tests cannot be done if you have eaten. 
• It may take time for you to be treated, if possible, please leave small children at home in someone else’s care. 
• While in ED, please refrain from using camera, video, or audio recording devices in the waiting room or hallways to respect patient, staff, and visitor privacy.

We understand that visiting the ED can be a stressful and frightening experience. Your safety is important to us. Threatening, abusive and/or violent behaviour are not tolerated in the ED. Patients and visitors who are considered to pose a safety risk to other patients, visitors, staff, physicians, or volunteers will be removed from the hospital. We make every effort to treat you with dignity and respect, and expect the same treatment in return.

Emergency departments provide treatment for severe illnesses and life-threatening injuries 24/7 year-round. If you need urgent medical attention for serious illness or injury, call 9-1-1 or visit the nearest emergency department. A doctor or nurse will assess your condition and decide a course of treatment.

There are alternative options; however, when in doubt, go to the emergency department.

Know Your Care Options provides a comprehensive list of alternative options and information on when to visit your family doctor or nurse practitioner, a walk-in clinic, or an urgent care clinic in Waterloo and Wellington Regions.

Doctors4Cambridge provides a list of doctors and nurse practitioners accepting patients in Cambridge.

Ontario Health811 is a free, secure and confidential service you can call (dial 811) or access online 24/7 to get health advice from a registered nurse or find health services or information. 
 

We understand how stressful it can be to feel uninformed and disconnected from your loved one when they are in the ED. We will do our best to keep loved ones up to date while we also prioritize the direct care of patients. 

Here are some things you can do to stay informed:

1. Come with your loved one to the ED. Most patients are permitted one visitor at a time as it is the best way to stay connected every step of the way. If you are arriving in a separate vehicle from your loved, park in lot #2 and go to the Information Desk in Wing A. Main Lobby or for after hours, ask for assistance from the Triage Nurse in the ED waiting room. 
2. Stay on speaker phone when the doctor is assessing your loved one. The request to do so must come from the patient if they are capable of their own decision making. 
3. Call the hospital for an update. If you have tried calling your loved one directly and were unable to reach them, you can call the hospital and follow the prompts for an update. We will do our best to have someone from the care team speak with you. 

Please keep these in mind:

• Please designate ONE person to be updated. This will avoid confusion for you and enable our care team to only have to update one person so they are able to focus on your loved one. 
• The care team will not provide family updates for patients who are capable of making their own medical decisions, except by request from the patient. This is due to privacy regulations protecting a patient’s personal information.
• If the patient would like someone updated, please ensure they have the correct phone number available. 
   

Cambridge Memorial Hospital is not responsible for patient or visitor belongings. Please do not bring valuables (including cash, jewelry, keys or watches) into the hospital. We understand that an emergency department is not a planned visit. If possible, give your valuables to  a friend or family member for safekeeping. Should you decide to bring valuables, please know that it is at your own risk. 

If you are admitted to hospital, inform your care team of any valuables so they are labelled with your name. Valuables, if found, may be given to our security for safekeeping, but space is limited. If you find something of yours is missing, please contact the hospital at 519-621-2333.

Cambridge Memorial Hospital, along with all inpatient hospitals in the Province of Ontario, is funded by the Government of Ontario. 

Patients who have a valid, Ontario Health Insurance Plan card (OHIP) are covered by this plan. If you do not have a valid OHIP card, you will need to pay upfront for emergency services. This is standard across all hospitals in Ontario. 

Patients who are uninsured are required to fill out a short form indicating one of the three options:

• Non-Resident of Canada
• A Canadian resident without valid health coverage
• A Canadian resident with valid provincial or federal health coverage but do not have proof of coverage with you

For private insurance providers, you will need to go through them in order to recover the costs associated with your visit. Most private insurance providers require you contact them immediately upon use of health care services. Please contact them as soon as you are at the hospital. 

Fees are paid upfront and do not cover the cost of any lab or medical imaging services, and ambulance fees (among other hospital services). These will be billed separately should you require these services during your visit. If you require surgery or an inpatient admission to hospital, there will be further charges for these services. Learn about Paying Your Bill. 

Patients are responsible for the costs of transportation home when you are discharged from an emergency visit. 

If friends or family are not available to take you home, or if you require special transportation, please make arrangements with one of the following: 

• Taxi or Uber/Lyft
• Wheelchair Taxi
• Private transportation services (i.e., for patients requiring a stretcher)

Please ask your care team if you need assistance arranging transportation. Some services will require you to provide a credit card number. Please have this available. 

We welcome feedback about your Emergency Department experience, such as compliments or concerns. If you have tried to resolve your concerns with your care team and you still would like to speak to someone, please contact Patient Relations at patientrelations@cmh.org or ext. 2360. 

Don’t call the Emergency Department to ask how long the wait times are. Please check our Emergency Wait Time page. Your waiting time will depend on your condition, the number of patients seeking emergency care and the severity of the cases that need to be treated. 

All patients are treated according to need. If someone comes in after you and they require immediate care, they will be seen before you. Likewise, if you are in need of urgent care, you will be seen sooner. 

Emergency care is offered first to those who need care the most (e.g., heart attacks, severe bleeding, etc.). We cannot offer appointments or put your name on the waiting list prior to your arrival. You must be assessed by a triage nurse to determine the severity of your condition.

We cannot offer advice over the phone. You must be assessed by a triage nurse to accurately determine the severity of your condition.