The countdown is on for patient transfers!

In December, the Adult Sites Patient Transfer Coordination Committee successfully carried out its first mock patient move in preparation for the upcoming transfer of the long-term - care patients from the Montreal Chest Institute (MCI) to the Camille-Lefebvre Pavilion of the Lachine Hospital at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).

The point of the exercise was to give representatives from teams involved in the actual move an opportunity to test the plan, discuss any problems along the way and make necessary adjustments before the real patient transfer on Sunday, January 25, 2015. The priority is that patients have a safe and efficient transfer without any interruption in patient care.

The patient transfer, from bed-to-bed, took a respectable 30 minutes and 24 seconds. This exercise was made possible by the participation of nurses, respiratory therapists, physicians, and the departments of Social Work, Housekeeping Volunteer Services, Emergency Measures, Security, Technical Services and Admitting. We also benefited from the involvement of Urgences-Santé and the support of Health Care Relocations (HCR), a Canadian company that has organized over 300 hospital moves around the world, and who is undertaking our move. Similar exercises will be carried out this winter for the transfers to the Glen site.

The transfers: what you need to know

We are preparing to undertake the biggest hospital move in Canada’s history. A team of MUHC managers and clinicians are hard at work locking down every last detail of the moves to ensure the transfers run as smoothly as possible. Here are some of the logistical details that have already been ironed out:

• Up to three weeks before each hospital’s patient move date, clinics will scale down activities and start transferring to the Glen site. Clinical activities will resume at the Glen once patient transfers are completed (April 26 for the Royal Victoria Hospital [RVH], May 24 for the Montreal Children’s Hospital [MCH], and June 14 for the MCI and the Montreal General Hospital [MGH]).

• Patient transfer days are taking place on a Sunday to avoid as many traffic delays as possible and minimize disruption to the local community.

• Designated routes for patient transfers have been identified with municipal officials and emergency services to optimize safety and efficiency.

• Immediately before being transferred, each patient will have their health status evaluated by a clinician, which must be cleared before departure.

• Patients will be transported by either ambulance or alternative transportation and will always be accompanied by a nurse.

• Many pediatric patients will be accompanied by a parent along with their transport team.

• Patients and their families will be provided with ample information on transfer logistics, timing and contact information before the moving day.

For more information about how each of our patient transfers will take place, please visit the muhc.ca/2015 or follow us on social media.