Manitoba's Conservative Opposition is demanding an independent external review into the death of Brian Sinclair, who was found dead after waiting 34 hours in a hospital emergency waiting room in September.

The call for a full-scale review comes on the heels of an internal report into the incident by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

Winnipeg health officials are taking steps to improve the ER system following the death of a patient.

Sinclair never received medical attention after he arrived at Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre emergency room on Sept. 19. Sinclair, who lost his legs to frostbite and was in a wheelchair, was found in the waiting area of the ER Sept. 21 after someone alerted hospital staff.

Conservative health critic Myrna Driedger said steps taken so far to prevent a similar tragedy are little more than a Band-Aid.

"I don't think it's going to fix some of the problems that are out there," said Driedger. "It seems that every time somebody dies Band-Aids are slapped on to the ER system. I don't think we're probably going to get to where we need to be."

Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said Wednesday it would beef up staffing to ensure patients are properly monitored in city emergency rooms.

Sinclair was not assessed by an ER triage nurse and was not registered as a patient seeking care, so reassessment nurses didn't know he was there for help, officials with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said at the time. He was sent to the hospital by a local clinic after complaining of a bladder problem.

The WRHA said no one at the Health Sciences Centre was to blame for the death and no disciplinary action is being taken against staff. But changes have been made in the way patients are received by emergency department.

Review confirms problems

The head of the Manitoba Nurses Union says the internal review confirms ER problems are systemic, something nurses knew all along.

Sandi Mowat said shifts should be reduced to four to six hours on the triage desk.

Following an autopsy, officials said Sinclair could have been saved by a catheter change and a course of antibiotics. An inquest has been called into the death by Manitoba's chief medical examiner.

In the meantime, some new measures adopted by the health authority include:

• Everyone arriving at an emergency room is now registered electronically before entering a waiting room.
• Emergency room staff must communicate directly with each person in the waiting room at least once every four hours.
• Staff should be rotated between the triage and reassessment areas of the emergency department every four hours to ensure better communication.

Winnipeg's Health Sciences Centre has installed new signage in the ER after a patient died there waiting to see a doctor.

Also, when doctors refer patients to any hospital emergency room, their offices must now follow-up with a telephone call to the emergency department telling them a patient is on their way.

The Health Sciences Centre has made some physical changes in the layout of its emergency waiting area and has begun hiring new staff with experience in social work to interact with the hundreds of patients who arrive in the emergency department.

Closely watching how the WRHA is handling the case is the First Nations Disability Association.

Sinclair was a Métis who was living in poverty.

"Doreen Demas of the First Nations Disability Association said the WRHA has made a good start with its internal review — but cultural sensitivity training for staff is critical.

"I think that Brian … was not a person that was going to shout out and ask assertively for assistance, he just sat there quietly and waited and hoped that somebody would help him," she said.