Doctors at an Edmonton hospital have penned a joint statement urging the Alberta government to reverse its plan to close 21 inpatient beds at a time when hospitals are overflowing with patients.

The statement, shared with The Globe and Mail, said staff at the University of Alberta Hospital were told on Jan. 6 that one of its two family medicine units will be closed in March, reducing inpatient beds to 21 from 42.

Physicians working on these units, who wrote the statement, said closing beds will further strain an already overburdened system and hinder patient care. Family medicine units provide care to acutely ill patients with a range of complex medical and social needs, such as seniors with dementia and trauma patients who do not require surgery.

“As health care workers are stretched to their limits, the loss of these beds is more than frustrating – it is infuriating. It represents a failure to support and acknowledge the tireless work of the teams who continue to provide care under increasingly untenable conditions,” the group said.

“We are concerned this change will increase substandard care, extend hospital stays, and increase the risk of adverse patient outcomes, including death.”

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The physicians did not sign their names to the statement because of concerns that speaking publicly would affect their employment.

Last week, doctors working in Edmonton’s major hospitals called on Alberta to declare a state of emergency because there is no more room to safely accept patients in the city’s major hospitals. Less than a month ago, three people died on the same day in the Grey Nuns Community Hospital’s emergency department in Edmonton.

The province has said calls for a state of emergency are misguided but that resources are being allocated as needed to deal with increased patient demand. Government officials have pointed to influenza season as the major driver; Edmonton doctors have said there are many other stressors.

Kristi Bland, a spokesperson for Alberta Health Services, in a statement painted a different picture of what was unfolding at the hospital. She said some family medicine beds will be closed to make room for a neurosciences intensive care unit, which will provide specialized care for patients with complex neurological and neurosurgical disorders. This redevelopment was first announced in 2018.

Ms. Bland said only four beds on the family medicine unit will be closed this month to accommodate renovations, adding that the family medicine unit will be relocated later this year.

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“There is no anticipated bed loss associated with this relocation. When relocated, the unit will continue to operate with its full staffing with the same level of care that is currently provided to family medicine patients,” Ms. Bland said.

Doctors in the joint statement, however, said hospital leadership suggested to them that the affected beds may be substituted by moving patients to subacute beds at Leduc Community Hospital, south of Edmonton. Subacute care is less intensive.

This is not an optimal solution, especially because specialized services are limited in Leduc, the group said. They stressed that acute family medicine beds must be maintained because they are integral to the functioning of their hospital.

“They provide space for patients who are at the end of life and deserve the privilege of passing with dignity, and privacy. They provide space to move recovering patients from ICU or surgical wards, so that these vital services do not become gridlocked with patients not requiring their imminent attention,” the letter said.

“More importantly, these family medicine beds are essential for alleviating pressures on emergency departments by accommodating patients with a broad range of medical needs who cannot be discharged due to the severity of their conditions.”