Emergency department performance at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital is to get “an independent, focused operational assessment” aimed at “immediate corrective action”, the Ministry of Health has announced.

The “formal” directive to the Bermuda Hospitals Board to take on an external provider for the review came days after Edward Schultz, a former Chief of Emergency Services, went public with calls for a commission of inquiry to look into longstanding “critical” overcrowding and other problems threatening patient safety.

His statement came after Dr Schultz sent a 4,000-word document outlining the issue to the BHB and the ministry in January.

The ministry statement referenced “issues related to patient flow and bed boarding” driving delays and strain on staff and services, and said the BHB had been given seven days to produce an initial update on the scope, methodology and leadership of the review.

A statement added: “The objective is to identify concrete, actionable measures that can be implemented quickly to improve efficiency, patient experience and safety.”

Dr Schultz faulted the design of the island’s only acute-care facility, along with a failure to plan ahead for the island’s growing population of seniors, for a bottleneck of inpatient beds that he said was caused “near daily” issues at the hospital.

He also stated that there were “proven solutions that could have already been adopted to resolve the matter”, adding: “These solutions, however, will require a deep social commitment as well as a significant financial investment from both of the major parties involved

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, said the Government expected a “clear operational response” to address challenges as “a matter of urgency”.

She said pressures on critical frontline service required “focused and immediate action” to identify practical short‑term remedies.

She added: “This process is about accountability and results. We expect clear findings, practical recommendations, and prompt implementation.”

The ministry said the review, to come with a defined time frame, would examine the movement of patients through the Emergency Department, factors behind prolonged bed boarding, management of bed capacity and the hospital’s processes for patient discharge, along with any practices influencing its overall performance.

Ms Wilson added: “We expect clear findings, practical recommendations and prompt implementation.”

She said the Government would monitor progress “closely”.