Surrey Memorial Hospital, seen here in September 2025, was the lowest-ranked hospital in Canada when it came to Google reviews. (Anna Burns/Surrey Now-Leader)
Surrey Memorial Hospital was the "lowest-ranked (major) hospital" in Canada in 2024 by Google reviews, according to a recent report.
The report by SecondStreet.org looked at the Google reviews of 83 major hospitals in Canada for 2024.
The average rating for the 83 hospitals in 2024 was 2.91 out of 5.
Vancouver's Mount Saint Joseph Hospital had the highest ratings in the country at 4.34 out of 5. Surrey Memorial Hospital was 2.03. As of Oct. 31, it has 1,559 reviews and has a 2.2-star rating.
One review included in the study stated that Surrey Memorial was the absolute "worst hospital."
"Watched one man go into cardiac arrest in a hall and I (barely able to stand) had to get staff to help," reads the review. "Also had a roommate who nearly died of low SP02 and high heart rate. I again barely able to stand fresh out of surgery had to physically get staff to pay attention. They mistreated other patients around me and treated me horribly. Don't go here for serious medical attention. They're more of a broken bone hospital not a serious surgery hospital."
The Conservative Party of BC has criticized the NDP government, stating that Surrey residents are not receiving the health care they require.
"David Eby and his government put hospital patients first," provided that they live in Vancouver or the North Shore," said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Conservative Official Opposition health critic. "Surrey patients go to the very back of the line, 83rd position, to be exact."
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has previously spoken about how, despite Surrey being on track to become the largest city in the province by 2027, it does not have the health-care services available to match that growth.
"Surrey and White Rock together have 996 hospital beds versus 2,572 in Vancouver; just 597 acute care beds versus 1,138. Zero long-term care beds in Surrey compared with Vancouver's 535. Our children are treated in 16 pediatric beds while Vancouver has 252. That's particularly shocking to me, given we have just about double the amount of children in our school district."
Josie Osborne, B.C.'s minister of health, told Black Press Media that the government is investing "more than $3 billion in health care services in Surrey."
"Surrey is one of the fastest-growing communities in British Columbia, and it's essential that health services continue to expand and evolve to meet the needs of the people we serve," Osborne said.
This includes upgrades and projects at Surrey Memorial Hospital and the new Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre in Cloverdale, set to open in 2030.
"Our government remains firmly committed to strengthening health-care infrastructure and recruiting the skilled professionals needed to serve Surrey's growing population, today and into the future," Osborne said. "Over the past two years, more than 203 doctors and 700 nurses have joined the team at Surrey Memorial Hospital, strengthening patient care and supporting the dedicated staff who work there every day."
In response to the report, Osborne said, "While online reviews can reflect individual perspectives, they are not a reliable way to measure overall quality of care."
She encouraged people to talk to their health care providers or the managers on site at the hospital, as there are "clear processes in place" to raise concerns and ensure they are "addressed constructively," she said.
In June 2023, the province announced "30 promised health-care actions" to improve care at Surrey Memorial Hospital. The province had identified short-term, long-term and medium-term strategies to improve care.
These changes were announced amidst health-care workers at the hospital publicly raising their concerns.
The 83 hospitals included in the research had to have a minimum of 30 Google reviews in 2024. The study notes that there are several things the reader should take into consideration when "interpreting the data" in the report - the first being that users cannot give a hospital a zero rating.
"A hospital's score might actually be lower if some users were given the option of providing a zero score," reads the report.
Secondly, Google reviews can "be manipulated."
"There are various sites online where people have reported cases where businesses have allegedly offered discounts and other perks for providing five-star Google reviews. SecondStreet.org is not aware of this occurring for hospitals in Canada, but there is the potential for this to occur."
Users can also use a different account to file a bad review and ask their friends and family to do the same.
People are also more likely to leave a negative review than a positive one, the report notes.
Lastly, the study reminds readers that some patients might not leave a review on Google "for a government hospital as it is not a commercial service."
Researchers are hoping that the report will help "inform patients about the services provided by the select hospital," but also identify areas for growth of low-scoring hospitals.