Press Release provided by the Ontario Government
MIDDLESEX COUNTY — The Ontario government is investing $1,283,040 in the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service to connect more people to faster emergency care and increase the availability of paramedics and ambulances in the community.
This $1,283,040 investment for 2026/27 is through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program to hire nurses and other eligible health professionals dedicated to offloading ambulance patients in hospital emergency departments. This will help reduce delays paramedics encounter when arriving at hospitals to transfer patients.
“By supporting dedicated health-care professionals to help offload patients, we’re improving access to emergency care while making better use of our paramedic resources when every second counts. I’m proud to see our government continuing to invest in practical solutions that strengthen emergency care here and across Ontario.” Said Steve Pinsonneault, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex.
“Our paramedics are an essential part of our local health-care system, and making sure they have the resources they need is critical to keeping emergency services moving”, said Rob Flack, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-Lonon. “This investment in Middlesex-London will strengthen the system as a whole, supporting our paramedics and ensuring our communities have a strong and reliable emergency response when they need it most. Our government continues to make investments that strengthen our health-care system and ensure people in Middlesex County can get the care they need, when they need it.”
“This $1.28 million investment is welcome news for Middlesex County and an important contribution to our local emergency system. We appreciate the Ministry of Health’s continued investment in Middlesex-London and its support for practical measures that help return paramedics and ambulances to our communities sooner, strengthening 9-1-1 response for the residents who rely on it.”
- Sue Clarke, Warden, Middlesex County.
The program allows paramedics to get back out into the community faster and respond to their next 9-1-1 call sooner and has played a significant role in reducing ambulance offload times and increasing ambulance availability for 9-1-1 patients across the province. As a result of this investment and the collaboration between paramedics and hospital professionals, provincial ambulance offload time has been reduced by approximately 68 per cent since its peak in October 2022.
“Our government is making record investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system and connect people to the care they need, where and when they need it,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “With provincial ambulance offload times declining by nearly 70% since 2022, this shows that our plan is working.”
“Shorter offload delays allow patients to transition to hospital care sooner while making paramedic crews available more quickly for the next 9-1-1 call. That improved flow across the emergency system supports more timely care and, most importantly, better health outcomes for the patients and communities we serve.” - Brian Ropp, Chair, MLPS Authority Board.
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to protect the province’s health-care system and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care closer to home for generations to come.
QUICK FACTS
•The government’s additional investments in the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program over three years have helped municipalities cover more than 1.6 million dedicated hours to support offloading ambulance patients in the emergency department.
•Currently over 300 patient care models led by paramedic services across the province are now approved to provide appropriate and timely care options for eligible 9-1-1 patients in the community, instead of in the emergency department.
•To help increase the number of paramedics in the province, the expanded Ontario Learn and Stay Grant provides students studying in the first year of a paramedic program at select post-secondary institutions with funding for free tuition, books, compulsory fees and other direct educational costs. After graduating, students will be required to work in the same region they studied in, for a minimum of six months for every full year of study funded by the grant.
•The Ontario government has helped more students who want to become a paramedic in Ontario by adding more than 300 student spaces in paramedic programs at provincial colleges across Ontario.
