The Acute Care Action Plan strengthens emergency, surgical and inpatient care by increasing capacity and improving patient flow. To support this work, Alberta’s government is making targeted investments that will benefit patients immediately, including:
- Capital planning to add more than 1,000 new acute care beds in Edmonton and Calgary, including new bed towers at Grey Nuns, Misericordia, and South Health Campus hospitals, relieving pressure and supporting patients with serious medical needs.
- Delivering 50,000 additional surgical procedures over the next three years by leveraging chartered surgical facilities to expand operating room capacity, to reduce surgical wait times.
- Targeted investments at the Royal Alexandra Hospital to enhance triage, speed up patient flow and help patients move efficiently through the system.
- Increasing the number of community care spaces, including 12 new psychiatric beds and 30 temporary beds becoming permanent, ensuring Albertans in crisis receive timely support and reducing emergency department congestion.
- Working with the Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services to increase the number of continuing care spaces across the province.
- Developing a provincial neonatal intensive care unit strategy to ensure the most vulnerable infants receive the specialized care they need.
“Our frontline health care teams have been working under extraordinary pressure, and I want to thank them for their unwavering service. The Acute Care Action Plan delivers immediate relief in our hospitals and builds long-term stability, ensuring Albertans see faster service, increased access and a health system they can count on for years to come.”
“By implementing the Acute Care Action Plan, including immediate investments, we are delivering results for patients today while building a stronger health system for tomorrow.”
“The Acute Care Action Plan strengthens Alberta’s health system by improving access and coordination. It builds on our commitment to give every Albertan the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”
“Acute care is only one part of the system – it has to work hand-in-hand with community and continuing care. That’s why we’re strengthening those connections, so patients can move seamlessly through every stage of care and get the right support in the right place.”
“Mental health and addiction challenges are major drivers of emergency visits. This plan expands access to important supports and ensures Albertans in crisis get timely and appropriate care.”
Preparing for the future
While immediate relief is a priority, the Acute Care Action Plan also lays the foundation for long-term improvements through a six-priority framework. These priorities include:
- Expanding surgical access by leveraging chartered surgical facilities for routine procedures and investing in hospitals for urgent and complex surgeries to improve capacity and reduce wait times.
- Modernizing emergency health services through expanded ambulance fleets, improved dispatch coordination and enhanced rural and remote coverage. As a result, paramedics will spend more time responding to emergencies and less time waiting at hospitals.
- Improving patient flow and discharge practices by redesigning care pathways, integrating hospital command centres and establishing consistent discharge standards.
- Supporting health care workers through long-term workforce planning, flexible deployment models, modernized workforce structures and targeted incentives.
- Diverting patients from emergency departments by expanding primary care, urgent care, community care access and virtual care, while developing a triage portal to guide patients to the most appropriate care quickly and effectively.
- Developing a long-term, 50-year capital strategy to ensure clinic, new hospital and community health facility investments align with population growth and emerging needs.
By taking these steps, we are building a stronger, more resilient health system that meets the needs of Albertans today and in the future.
Quick facts
- In 2024-25, 318,920 surgeries were completed in Alberta, higher than the original target of 310,000 and a 4 per cent increase from the previous year.
- Alberta continues to perform better than the national average for wait times in four areas: hip replacement, hip fracture repair, knee replacement and radiation therapy.
- Alberta has exceeded its own 2019 performance in the percentage of patients receiving hip, knee and cataract surgeries, as well as MRI scans, within the recommended wait time benchmarks. Additionally, wait times for knee surgeries remain the same.
- Alberta now has a record 12,769 physicians registered to practice across the province, an increase of 643 from last year.
- Physician growth now exceeds population growth, with increases recorded in all five health zones.
- There are currently 8,764 acute care beds in Alberta.
Related information
Related news
- Boosting urgent care capacity in Airdrie (Sept. 16, 2025)
- Modern tools, better surgical care (Oct. 9, 2025)