Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital

I had a very positive experience going to the Smiths Falls location for diagnostic imaging. The wait time to get an appointment was much less than for the Ottawa hospitals, and it's only a ten minute longer drive from where I live to Smiths Falls vs the closest hospital in Ottawa. The nurses and technicians were friendly, the hospital was clean and quiet, I was in and out in no time.

If you are an in patient the staff is very good to attend to your needs. Most are pleasant and professional - - some need more training!
In Emerg - no need for registration and triage -as nurse could do both. On a recent visit to Emerg nurse had to enter medications into computer that other staff should have entered on the visit I had 4 months previously.
This visit I arrived @ 7:50 Am. Registration and Triage fairly quickly. Waited then 1hr 30 minutes to see doctor. An ultra sound was booked for 10AM and then changed to 2 PM because x-ray was too busy. One of the nurses did take me to the family room and got me a lunch tray at 1 PM as I live 22 miles out - someone drove me so I had to stay as the driver left. By the time I had the ultra sound and waited for the doctor to give me the report I had spent another 2 hours waiting. I ended up spending 8 hours in emerg. That is a long time for anyone 76 years old with a condition that they considered an emergency to wait.

WHAT PEOPLE CONSIDER EMERGENCIES, DOCTORS AND NURSES DON'T. IF YOU ARE NOT HEMORRHAGING OR DRAWING YOUR LAST BREATH WHERE YOU HAVE TO CALL AN AMBULENCE DON'T GO TO THE SMITHS FALLS HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM. MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR --- OTHERWISE YOU ARE GOING TO WAIT!

Even two doctors can't handle all the people that come into emerg.
This hospital should only have ambulance emergency to deal with and let the walk ins go to Perth, Kemptville, Ottawa or Kingston. Brockville has long wait times too.

Great hospital. The staff who work here are friendly and helpful. Of course wait times vary depending on what is taking place behind the scenes (which patients in the waiting room are not privy to). Nurses are fast an efficient and will ensure that you are helped immediately if your issue is a real emergency. We are lucky to have such a great, caring group of people servicing our small community.

One major thing for me was some nurses are sexist and will express it to your face, I just think a hospital is not the place to bring that behaviour, some people come in with suicidal depression having come from terrible homes and abusive relationships and those comments can be quite triggering, which isn't good when you're on the brink. Decent wait times, depending when you come, good care, mostly helpful nurses but there's a few that are worn down.