Niagara Health ER Wait Times (Niagara Health System)

At 8:25 pm EDT, the shortest published ER wait was Welland Hospital at 5 hours 0 minutes. The median across 3 reporting ERs was 7 hours 0 minutes. Numbers change through the day, so check the list above before you go.

Niagara Health publishes "Estimated wait to see a doctor or NP": Niagara Health's estimate of the time from checking in with the triage nurse to being seen by a doctor or nurse practitioner, based on how long patients have waited over the last six hours. It is shown to the nearest half hour, updated about every five minutes, and is not a guarantee of how long you will wait.

These measures can differ in their starting point and statistic. Compare estimates within the same measurement group. Patients with the most urgent needs are seen first.

Source: Niagara Health

Providers publish estimates on different schedules. Our checks are separate from those updates, and the displayed number may stay the same after a check. Each listing shows its available timestamp; check the source-specific frequencies below.

Not for every site. All three of Niagara Health's emergency departments, listed on this page, publish a live wait. Its urgent care centres in Fort Erie and Port Colborne show opening hours only, so they are not listed here.

Demand in an emergency department can change quickly. One serious trauma, or several very sick patients arriving at once, can lengthen everyone else's wait with little warning. Niagara Health refreshes its estimates about every five minutes, so the number shows the latest picture, not a promise of how long you will wait.

Source: Niagara Health: emergency wait times

Emergency departments see the sickest patients first, not in order of arrival, whether people come by ambulance or on their own. A specially trained triage nurse assesses everyone on arrival using the same five-level scale every Canadian hospital uses, from level 1 (most critical) to level 5 (non-urgent). People with life- or limb-threatening injuries or illnesses are treated first, then those with less urgent problems.

Source: Niagara Health: emergency wait times

Waiting = Patients who have not yet had an initial assessment by a physician or nurse practitioner.

Treating = Patients who have had an initial assessment completed by a physician or nurse practitioner.

Source: Niagara Health: emergency wait times

Niagara Health's urgent care centres in Fort Erie (Douglas Memorial site, 230 Bertie Street) and Port Colborne (260 Sugarloaf Street) usually open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, but their hours can change at short notice, so check Niagara Health's website before you go. Urgent care is for minor illnesses and injuries, such as sprains, strains and minor cuts or burns; if you arrive with a medical emergency, staff will call 911. For a serious problem, go to the emergency department at Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls Hospital or Welland Hospital, all open 24 hours a day.

Source: Niagara Health: emergency wait times

Treat the waits as general information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 911 rather than driving to the ER with the shortest wait. For problems that aren't emergencies, your family doctor, a pharmacist, a walk-in clinic, Health811 (call 811) or virtual urgent care through Urgent Care Ontario may get you care sooner without an ER visit.

Source: Niagara Health: emergency wait times

No. ERWaitTimes.ca is an independent site, not affiliated with Niagara Health System. We regularly check the official estimates and link to the source. The update-frequency table above describes each feed.