Ambulance response time slips, more paramedics needed in Mississauga, Brampton, Caledon

Peel Region needs to hire 22 more paramedics to deal with the increasing number of emergencies in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon as ambulance response time falls below targets.

Information contained in Peel’s proposed budget for 2025 reveals that paramedics are a spending priority for the region with an estimated $1.5 million being set aside for the additional personnel.

The budget still has to go before regional councillors for approval.

However, the budget documents prepared by regional staff make a compelling argument for the increase in paramedics whose numbers currently stand at approximately 800.

The documents show that ambulances are not arriving at emergency scenes as quickly as they used to because of the combined pressures of an increasing population, longer patient offloading times at hospitals, and staff absenteeism.

Aside from the swelling population in general, the number of seniors in Peel continues to grow and with that an increase of health issues that are addressed through ambulance services. So far this year 43 per cent of patients who have received paramedic services in Peel have been aged 65 or over.

“Current funding formulae do not accurately account for the increasing seniors population and population growth – both of which lead to an increased need for emergency services,” according to the rationale in the proposed budget document. “As Peel continues to support the province’s efforts to build more homes faster, as well as the influx of refugees and asylum seekers, demand continues to surge in Paramedic Services and in the overall health system. This mismatch between funding and demands on the service exacerbates pressures, resulting in staffing challenges and slower response times.”

As well, on-the-job pressures have led to increased absenteeism in the ranks to the extent that it equates to the equivalent of 17 ambulances off the road each day, according to the budget document.

Along with the increased demand and reduced staff levels, another pressure on the system is the time spent offloading patients at hospitals where paramedics stand by to assist when there are not enough hospital beds to accommodate patients.

The budget says with the combined pressures, response times to emergencies for the most critical cases have fallen behind targets every year since 2020.

Other facts related to paramedic services:

• The top five common reasons for calls are related to feeling unwell, trauma, abdominal pain, musculoskeletal issues,
  and difficulty breathing; 54 per cent of these calls required a ‘lights and sirens’ response.
• Paramedic Services operates four reporting stations and 22 satellite stations. These stations are placed throughout Peel region to provide emergency coverage for Peel’s 1.5 million residents and visitors to the region.
• Paramedic Services responded to an average of 378 calls per day in 2023 and an average of 398 calls per day in 2024.
• Peel paramedics continue to respond to over 97 per cent of Peel’s emergency calls and the remaining 3 per cent of calls are responded
  to by neighbouring service providers due to the close proximity of their vehicles. In 2023, Peel paramedics responded to 4,608 calls in
  neighbouring municipalities to provide seamless service.