BC reveals dramatic spikes in patients leaving BC emergency rooms without data
Provincial data obtained through freedom-correction request shows that the number of patients in BC has increased by 86 percent to leave emergency rooms without taking care of-with the biggest growth seen in-Offer Health and Vancouver island health authorities.
Data reveals the number of undefined visits in emergency rooms in BC health officers between 2018 and 2025, and their Canadian triaries and the unutized scale (CTAS) break the patient’s visits – a system that is used to classify patients based on the urgency of their case.
It also includes another category of patients, titled: Left without no (LWBS).
According to the numbers compiled by the Ministry of BC Health, in the financial year of 2018-2019, 76,157 patients in BC left emergency rooms without receiving care.
By 2024-2025, this number increased to 141,961.
When broken by the Health Authority, the number suggests that, in some areas, LWBS cases have deteriorated in the last two years. Across the BC, the number of patients leaving emergency rooms without receiving care increased between 2023 and 2025.
‘Quite acceptable limits’
The Vancouver Island Health Authority saw a particular major growth among the patients who left before receiving care, in 11,513 cases registered in 2018-2019, 20,925 cases were registered in 2023-2024, and 29,997 cases recorded in 2024-2025. It represents an increase of 160 percent in seven years.
On the performance measures published in January 2025, an island Health Authority document said that while the authority’s target for LWBS is two percent, it was currently leaving 7.3 percent of patients before seeing a physician.
“As of November 2024, the island health was not meeting the target for this remedy,” the document says.
“The performance is enough outside the acceptable limit.”
The document states that “sometimes, people who want to care for emergency departments are registered and get a triad evaluation from a nurse, but then they leave the Emergency Department (ED) before seeing a physician.”
“If a person demanded care on an ED, but left before seeing a physician, it is possible that they did not need their care.”
The document also notes the factors contributing to high rates, “Emergency arrival and inpetrs are being held at emergency location, contributing to the crowd to see a physician and waiting for a long time. When emergency trips and crowds increase, the rate deteriorates (increases).
According to Statistics Canada, the population served by island health increased by 11 percent between 2018 and 2024.
In the Fraser Health Authority, 34,678 LWBs were recorded in the BC, the largest health authority, 2018-2019.
The number increased to 55,415 in 2023-2024, and in 2024–2025 to 64,972, with an overall increase of 87 percent.
According to BC statistics, the population of Fraser Health also increased by about 4.6 percent during that time. The population in the Health Authority is expected to increase by 32 percent in the next 15 years.
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority recorded 13,353 LWBS in 2018-2019, 21,475 in 2023-2024, and 20,898 in 2024-2025 by 20,898.
CBC News has approached the BC Health Ministry for comments.
In a statement, BC’s opposition conservatives called the figures “disastrous”.
Data supports the patient’s stories
The data comes after a series of high-profile stories about the deteriorating conditions in BC emergency rooms, describing a long-waiting time, indiscriminate circumstances for patients and their families and violent attacks against medical staff.
Emergency Room Physician Calin Stockton launched one Explosive suit In June, against the Fraser Health Authority, alleging that he was threatened with his job after trying to warn the patients of “unacceptable” waiting time.
Two nurses also moved forward in the same health authority Cruel attack They say that they were suffering from patients working in BC emergency rooms.
In an interview with the CBC after two stories, Health Minister Josi Osborne said that patients with the most important needs are first seen, resulting in a longer a long time waiting for less immediate cases. He said that the province is currently reviewing every health authority in BC
In a statement, BC doctors, who represent more than 16,000 physicians, residents and medical students, stated that it is “calling for some time to build an emergency department stabilization scheme.”
“Doctor’s shortage is also affecting emergency departments, and recent efforts to recruit American physicians and new SFU medical schools are definitely assistants, but doctors, nurses and other health care are required to recruit and maintain more to meet the needs of patients,” it is read. “
