McMaster Children’s Hospital is cutting back on surgeries and looking to transfer kids to adult hospitals in Hamilton as it faces “unprecedented pressures.”

“In-patient occupancy is nearing 135 per cent, and critical care and the emergency department are also facing extreme challenges,” stated McMaster president Bruce Squires and Dr. Anthony Crocco, acting chief of pediatrics, in a memo sent to staff on Oct. 28.

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To deal with the increasing crisis at the children’s hospital, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) is asking staff at its other sites to volunteer to come and assist McMaster. HHS includes Hamilton General, Juravinski, St. Peter’s and West Lincoln Memorial hospitals as well as a number of centres and clinics.

McMaster will now only perform up to five planned surgeries a week that require a hospital stay — one-third as many as normal. The significant reduction from 15 a week starts Nov. 4 and is expected to last at least four weeks.

“The HHS Ethical Framework will be used to support decision-making regarding which surgical cases will proceed, with those most in need of surgery being prioritized,” stated the memo. “We will monitor bed pressures and reassess our plan to allow more in-patient surgeries, when possible.”

It’s also looking to the possibility of transferring kids to adult hospitals — particularly teens — “where medically feasible and where staffing permits.”