A significant investment in health care is bringing new services, equipment and capacity to Surrey, helping patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Announced at Surrey Memorial Hospital, the Province, Fraser Health and the Surrey Hospitals Foundation will be working together to improve emergency care and medical imaging at the hospital, while also expanding community services for seniors and their families.
For people in Surrey and across the South Fraser region, this investment is about improving the experience of seeking care, reducing uncertainty and helping patients move toward answers sooner.
HELPING PATIENTS ACCESS THE RIGHT CARE SOONER
Surrey Memorial Hospital is home to the busiest emergency department in British Columbia, serving more than 180,000 patients every year.
Behind that number are people waiting while worried about a loved one, families trying to understand what may be happening and health care teams working tirelessly to respond to tremendous demand.
The new investment will support a dedicated front door triage team that can assess patients earlier and direct them to the most appropriate care. It will also add a new emergency department satellite centre to the Surrey Memorial Hospital campus for people with less urgent, non life threatening needs.
Laboratory and X ray services will be available at the centre, allowing patients to receive assessment, testing and treatment in one location. This will provide another pathway for patients who require timely care but may not need the specialized resources of the main emergency department.
Together, these changes will help address an existing gap between urgent primary care and the critical and complex care provided in the emergency department. By directing patients to the most appropriate setting, the new approach will help improve the flow of patients, reduce pressure on the main emergency department and support shorter wait times.
Surrey Memorial Hospital’s existing CT scanner will also be replaced and a second scanner added. This increased capacity will help patients access critical imaging sooner, providing faster answers and supporting timely decisions across emergency, trauma, stroke and inpatient care.
Together, these improvements will help move patients through the hospital more efficiently, support faster clinical decisions and create a better care experience for patients and families.
Beyond the improvements at Surrey Memorial Hospital, the investment will also expand adult day programs and overnight respite services in the community. With more than 87,000 Surrey residents aged 65 and older, a population that grew by nearly 20 per cent between 2016 and 2021, the need for community-based services that support healthy aging and independence continues to grow. This separate initiative will provide seniors with safe, supportive care while giving family members and other unpaid caregivers an important temporary break from their caregiving responsibilities.
WORKING TOGETHER TO STRENGTHEN CARE
Surrey is growing rapidly, and the needs of patients, families and health care teams continue to grow with it.
“This announcement responds to some of what our community has been experiencing,” said Nicole Robson, President and CEO of Surrey Hospitals Foundation. “It will not resolve every pressure facing our health care system, but it is a substantial step forward that can help patients access the right care sooner while supporting the people delivering it.”
Surrey Hospitals Foundation is proud to work alongside the Government of British Columbia, Fraser Health, health care teams, donors and community partners to help turn this investment into meaningful progress for patients.
The Foundation has committed to launching a campaign that will help fund essential equipment for the new emergency department satellite centre and strengthen emergency care at Surrey Memorial Hospital.
As Surrey’s designated health care foundation, we connect the generosity of donors with the greatest needs and opportunities across our health care system. We listen to patients, families and health care teams, identify where philanthropy can have a meaningful impact and bring our community together around solutions.
“This initiative creates a tangible opportunity for philanthropy to help move the line on an issue that matters deeply to patients, families, health care teams and our community,” Robson said.
THE ROLE OF PHILANTHROPY
Philanthropy does not replace government investment. It comes alongside that investment and Fraser Health’s clinical expertise to help equip health care teams, advance innovation and bring solutions to patients and families sooner.
Our health care teams deliver excellent and compassionate care every day within a system facing extraordinary demand. They deserve access to the equipment and diagnostic tools that can help them assess patients sooner, make critical decisions faster and provide the best possible care.
For donors, this campaign will offer a meaningful opportunity to be part of that progress.
“Moving the line means helping shorten the wait for care,” Robson said. “It means investing in the equipment and diagnostic tools our teams need to assess patients more quickly. It means helping patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
When our community supports this work, it can help move patients toward answers, families toward reassurance and health care teams toward the tools they need to deliver excellent care.
Today’s announcement is about more than new services and equipment. It is about government, health care and community coming together to respond to the needs of one of the fastest growing regions in British Columbia.
“Together, we can help move wait times in the right direction, bring essential equipment into service sooner and move care forward for the patients and families who rely on Surrey Memorial Hospital and our broader ecosystem of care,” Robson said.
Surrey Hospitals Foundation looks forward to sharing more about the campaign and the opportunities for our community to help move the line for health care in Surrey.
Learn more
Read the full announcements for additional information about these investments and what they will mean for patients, families and health care teams in Surrey:
