Alberta’s government has released a new Acute Care Action Plan aimed at easing pressure on emergency rooms, reducing surgical wait times and adding hospital capacity across the province.
The plan includes immediate measures and a long-term strategy built around expanding beds, improving patient flow, and strengthening links between acute, community and continuing care.
More than 1,000 new beds planned
The province says capital planning is underway to add more than 1,000 new acute care beds in Edmonton and Calgary. That includes new bed towers at Grey Nuns, Misericordia and South Health Campus hospitals.
The government also plans to complete 50,000 additional surgical procedures over the next three years by using chartered surgical facilities to expand operating room capacity.
Targeted upgrades at the Royal Alexandra Hospital are expected to improve triage and patient movement, while community care spaces will increase through 12 new psychiatric beds and 30 temporary beds becoming permanent.
Premier says plan will improve access
Premier Danielle Smith said the goal is to provide immediate relief to an overstretched system while setting up long-term stability.
“We’re adding beds, opening more operating room capacity and making sure Albertans see faster service and a health system they can count on,” Smith said.
Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones said the investments are intended to show results quickly.
“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,” Jones said.
Premier says plan will improve access
The broader framework focuses on six areas: expanding surgical access, modernizing EMS response, improving discharge and patient flow, supporting workforce planning, diverting non-urgent cases from emergency departments and developing a 50-year capital strategy for hospitals and clinics.
The province says the measures will help Alberta keep pace with population growth, improve coordination across the system and reduce bottlenecks in emergency departments.
Quick facts provided by the province
• 318,920 surgeries were completed in 2024–25, higher than the original target
• Alberta performs better than the national average in several surgical wait time categories
• The province now has a record 12,769 practicing physicians
• There are currently 8,764 acute care beds across Alberta
