I had a confirmed surgical date during the COVID-19 pandemic or prior. What should I do?
Your safety and wellbeing comes first. We are following Ministry of Health and Lakeridge Health guidelines. Elective surgery has resumed but faces challenges due to nursing and anaesthesiologist shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. While elective surgery is taking place, Lakeridge Health is only able to inform us of dates for surgery for short periods of time.
We strongly encourage individuals who are eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, including their “Booster” doses to do so as soon as possible. Lakeridge Health policy is evolving around elective surgery and your vaccination status may affect timing and testing prior to surgery. Please inform our office of your vaccination status and any upcoming vaccinations you will be receiving.
Surgery and Tests during COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. For those patients who are eligible to proceed with their surgery, you will be contacted by our office to confirm a surgical date. At this time, inpatient and outpatient surgery is being performed. However, certain surgeries requiring admission, short stay, or in some cases, day surgery may need to be postponed to address nursing and hospital staffing issues. If your surgery date is affected, you will be contact as soon as we are made aware of any concrete changes by Lakeridge Health.
If your medical history has changed and you need a reassessment, please let us know. We also need to know your vaccination status and timing of any future vaccinations in order to schedule surgery and/or presurgical testing.
The Central East LHIN has implemented a region-wide Electronic Medical Record system. The system was implemented in early December, 2021 and is resulting in increased wait times for hospital appointments including tests. COVID-19 has placed additional pressure on our hospital clinic presence as some nursing and clerical staff are being asked to move to different areas of the hospital to address staff shortages and Emergency Room overflow. This will result in some hospital clinic appointments being moved or cancelled. Re: diagnostic testing such as MRI, CT, Ultrasound or Xray in the hospital, if a test was scheduled by the hospital and you have not yet had that test (ultrasound guided-injection, MRI or other), there may be a delay in getting that test due to system capacity at this time. For those tests booked at Lakeridge Health, please contact them directly for any changes in timing. We continue to seek alternate clinics / scanners to expedite your care where possible.
My doctor has referred me to a surgeon at DBJS or The Shoulder Centre. What should I do?
The Shoulder Centre has permanently relocated to our offices at Durham Bone and Joint Surgery. The same surgeons are overseeing your care at our office who previously saw patients at The Shoulder Centre. Our mission and philosophy behind this initiative remain the same and are supported by Durham Bone and Joint Specialists.
As we no longer use the clinical space in the hospital we ask that any calls / FAXes and inquiries be directed to us at Durham Bone and Joint Specialists
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our team has constantly been reviewing referrals, contacting patients in order of timing or priority based on the information we have been provided upon referral by your Primary Care Provider. We have been instructed by Lakeridge Health to reduce clinic volumes due to COVID-19 concerns, the recent implementation of the Epic Electronic Medical Record System, and funding for our clinics. Surgeons have been asked by Lakeridge Health to move appointments from the hospital to our office where possible. Please note that our surgeons are making every effort to follow up with our current patients while trying to accomodate new consultations. However, due to space and timing limitations due to the COVID-19 provincial directives, our capacity is limited.
I have had surgery and require a follow-up visit
You will receive a telephone call from one of our DBJS office staff, or one of the staff in the Fracture Clinic at Ajax Pickering Hospital to schedule a visit. If you had a referral to or an appointment at The Shoulder Centre, you will be seen at our DBJS office instead. Lakeridge Health has mandated that we see some hospital-based clinic patients in our office where possible.
I heard that the Province of Ontario is allowing hospitals to perform Elective Surgery.
While we were able to resume elective surgery as of June 8, 2020, subsequent staffing shortages which continue have caused elective surgery to proceed, but at a much slower rate than before the pandemic. There are significant challenges due to nursing and anaesthesiologist shortages as of December 15, 2021. If you have a surgical date booked with us and that date is affected, our office will contact you directly.