The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) is crediting consolidation efforts with improving wait times, despite a busier than usual flu season. 

The WRHA says it maintained a wait time of 1.6 hours in emergency departments for the month of December and the first half of January in 2017-2018, an improvement from 2 to 2.3 hours the previous year. 

During this year's flu season, the WRHA saw around 120 cases per week. In 2015-2016 they saw between 80 and 100 per week and in 2016-2017 it was much lower, at 20 and 40 per week. 

The WRHA attributes these improvements to recent changes under Phase 1 of the Healing Our Health System partnership between the WRHA and the province. 

Lori Lamont is the WRHA acting COO, vice president, nursing and health professions and says wait times aren't the only indicator the health system is improving, but it's a good place to start. 

"We use emergency wait times as a bit of a canary in the coal mine for how the system is working but we recognize we need to look at all parts of the system to make sure we're doing the best we can and we'll continue to make those improvements," Lamont said. 

Lamont says in order to accommodate flu patients admitted to hospital, approximately 70 over-capacity beds were opened and another 68 beds normally used for surgical patients were temporarily repurposed. Despite this, the region was still able to perform over 800 surgeries this week and last. 

Of the 97 non-urgent surgeries that were postponed, half have already been rescheduled, according to Lamont. 

The WRHA also attributes lower wait times with a record low number of patients awaiting placement in personal care homes. 

Lamont says last year 78 patients were waiting placement, as opposed to only nine this year.

While a spike in people admitted into the hospital is never positive, Lamont says this year's flu season has been a good indicator at the success of their changes thus far. 

"When we have surges in activity it is a stress on the system and a good test of our capacity to respond," Lamont said. "It's been a tough test because influenza has hit us hard this year."

The WRHA says more information about the progress and evaluation of consolidation efforts will be made available later this month.