- Unlike a walk in clinic, you are not seen in order of arrival, but based on the urgency of your need. Urgent patients will be seen according to priority.
- Estimated wait times are updated every 15 minutes but they are approximate and can change very quickly.
- Wait times are estimated from when the patients are assessed by a triage nurse to when they see a physician or nurse practitioner. They do not include the time it takes to be assessed by a physician or reflect the total length of stay of a visit.
- Due to rapidly changing demands and the need to see the sickest patient first, your own wait time may be more or less than the time displayed here.
Wait Time Clock Downtime
There will be a downtime for our ED Wait Time clock from April 25, 2024 at 7:00 pm until Friday, April 26 at 2:00 am. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause; the downtime is necessary to support computer system upgrades at SAH.
SAH ED Wait Times
Note: The wait time displayed on this clock refers to the time between being assessed by a triage nurse and seeing a Physician or Nurse Practitioner.
Average Wait
Longest Wait
Last Updated:
About Wait Times
Wait times are updated every 15 minutes and are estimates from when patients are assessed at triage to when they’re seen by a physician or nurse practitioner.
Due to rapidly changing demands in the Emergency Department and the need to see the sickest patients first, your own wait time may be more or less than the time displayed here.
Other Ways to Access Care
If you have a minor health problem, you may consider the following alternatives:
Your Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner. Call your primary care provider first. Anyone without a family doctor or nurse practitioner is urged to register with Health811 or call toll-free, 1-800-445-1822.
If you do not have a family doctor, click here for a list of community Walk-in Clinics.
Frequently Asked Questions
The wait time presented here refers to the time between being assessed by a triage nurse and being seen a physician or nurse practitioner.
The Emergency Department does not work on a first-come, first-served system. It’s important to know that critical patient will be seen first, whether they arrive on their own or via ambulance.
Upon arrival in the department, you will be assessed using the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS). You will be seen by a doctor based on that assessment.
In simple terms, the sickest patients will be seen most quickly.
- On arrival you will wait to be assessed by the triage nurse.
- The triage nurse then checks you in and assesses your condition. They will initiate care based on your symptoms.
- You wait to see the doctor for your first assessment. Patients are seen based on their triage score and the sickest patients will be seen in priority (or will be seen first).
- You see the doctor, who either sends you home or admits you to the hospital.
We measure the wait time as the time from when you are assessed by a triage nurse until the time you see a doctor for assessment. Because new patients arrive frequently, estimated wait times can change significantly.
Your personal experience may vary from these posted wait times based on a number of factors:
- Patients with more life-threatening situations arriving in the Emergency Department after you
- The volume of patients waiting to be seen compared to the number of doctors working
The computer system that supports our wait times information takes historic and real-time data from our internal reporting systems and turns it into an understandable report.
It is important to understand that the data posted here represents the most current information about the chance or probability of waiting for a certain time. This automated system refreshes the data in real-time, ensuring the most accurate information available, and is what allows us to provide this information externally.
A number of circumstances can affect how long you may spend in the emergency department:
- When you go – Some days or times of day may be busier than others.
- Unforeseen circumstances – If there is a big accident in the area or an infectious disease outbreak, you may need to wait longer than usual.
- Patients with serious or potentially life-threatening health problems – High-urgency patients usually require immediate care. They receive treatment first. This means that low-urgency patients may have to spend more time in the emergency department.
- If you need immediate tests or diagnostic imaging – Getting the tests (e.g. blood) or images (e.g. x-ray) and results will add to the total length of your visit.
- If you need to be admitted to hospital – You may need to wait until a hospital bed becomes available.