A new service at Niagara Health’s Niagara Falls Site will help extend critical care beyond the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) regardless of where an inpatient is located within the hospital.

The Critical Care Response Team (CCRT), first offered at the St. Catharines Site, is expanding to the Niagara Falls Site starting Tuesday, Nov. 1. This is a registered nurse-led initiative that will initially be available from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week and will expand to a 24/7 service in 2023.

Comprised of specially trained critical care practitioners, the CCRT works collaboratively with hospital staff to identify, assess and respond to the needs of seriously ill patients to improve patient outcomes. CCRTs work collaboratively with hospital staff to facilitate the early identification and prompt mobilization of critical care resources to at-risk patients.

“Expanding the CCRT to our Niagara Falls Site will help to increase patient safety and quality of care, as well as improve general access to critical care resources,” says Elayn Young, Director, Critical Care, Cardiac and Respirology, Niagara Health. “Early identification of patients in need allows the response team to stabilize them on the ward or facilitate a rapid admission to the ICU. In addition to enhancing patient safety, CCRT’s have been shown to increase staff engagement and satisfaction.”

In addition, these specially trained staff follow up to ensure that patients recently transferred out of critical care do not require readmission to the ICU.