Which hospital emergency department should you use? The closest, Quinte Health says
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The closest, Quinte Health saysSmaller hospitals not always fasterPublished Jul 28, 2026•Last updated 9 minutes ago•3 minute readSigns point the way to Trenton Memorial Hospital's emergency triage and nursing stations Wednesday, July 22, 2026 in Trenton, Ont. Quinte Health staff say anyone in need of emergency care should call 911 if needed and go to the nearest hospital and not try to guess where the wait will be shortest. Photo by Luke Hendry/The Belleville IntelligencerWhen you need emergency care, Quinte Health senior staff advise going to the closest hospital – even if the wait elsewhere may be shorter. They warn there’s a risk of delays in any hospital, since patients in emergency departments are seen in order of medical need. Patients with the most acute needs are seen first, regardless of whether they arrive after other patients. Recommended Videos“For most people, travelling farther to save what appears to be an hour or two may not result in getting home any sooner, particularly once travel time is considered,” Lena Bruce, Quinte Health’s new director of emergency and rural medicine, said in a written statement. “If someone is experiencing a serious medical emergency, they should always call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department,” she stated. “All four of Quinte Health’s emergency departments provide excellent emergency care, and we encourage people to seek care at the hospital that is most appropriate and convenient for them. “While it may be tempting to choose a hospital based on anticipatedwait times, those wait times can change very quickly as ambulances arrive or critically ill patients require immediate care,” Bruce stated. Your weekday digest of the top stories from our newsrooms in Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston and Belleville. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Eastern Ontario Midday Roundup will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againSome residents are open about their families’ practice of driving farther for care in the hope of having a shorter wait to be seen and less time spent in total at a hospital. Many report doing so because of past success with having relatively shortwaits at smaller hospitals. In Belleville, for example, where waits are typically the longest among Quinte Health hospitals, some residents head instead to the hospitals in Picton and Trenton. To the eastern part of the area, some go to Napanee, while some in western and central Hastings County go to Campbellford. Hospital officials said recently Belleville’s waits are longer because it sees many of the region’s most acute cases and also has regional programs, including intensive care and surgery. In an earlier video interview, Bruce said smaller hospitals also provide care in critical and complex cases, but those cases make up smaller percentages of their work compared to Belleville. “When we’re looking at the higher-acuity patients, patients are coming to Belleville and they need to spend more time in Belleville. So the length of stay is long and it’s complex. ”Patients from the smaller hospitals are also referred to Belleville. Vice-president and chief nursing officer Lina Rinaldi said care in smaller emergency departments is more easily slowed by complex patients. With typically one doctor working at a time, the arrival of one or more ambulances with very sick or injured patients can mean long delays for patients with less-acute conditions. That, Rinaldi said, can happen in any hospital. “We encourage patients to seek care in their own community,” Rinaldi said. “If you have an acute condition,” she said, “our teams are there and ready … and you will be seen immediately. “Wait times can vary throughout the day,” she said. A quiet time at a given hospital “may shift in a moment,” she said. Rinaldi also said Prince Edward County and North Hastings are tourism hotspots. As a result, she said, “the wait times will be longer there, too. ”Bruce said it’s possible for a single case to affect an entire day’s wait-time statistics, and that’s seen in Quinte Health’s data. She noted the four hospitals function as a system. “Our teams work together every day to ensure patients receive the care they need, whether that’s close to home or, when more specialized care is required, at Belleville General Hospital. ”Quinte Health's emergency wait times explained: ongoing struggle, recent improvementQuinte Health reports positive trends, shorter waits, and budget surplusJoin the ConversationThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more aboutcookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to ourTerms of UseandPrivacy Policy.