SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan Health Authority will add 109 beds as part of its aggressive plan to expand acute care at the Saskatoon City Hospital and address capacity pressures felt by emergency care service workers. The expansion is part of Saskatoon’s Capacity Pressure Action Plan, which is backed by a $30 million investment in the 2024-2025 budget.
The 109 beds benefit Saskatchewan residents since Saskatoon hospitals serve as tertiary facilities, providing essential and specialized care to patients across the province. The planned expansion will be implemented over the next 12 to 16 months, which include 22 beds for acute rehabilitation, 12 for acquired brain injury, 60 for general medicine, and 15 for high acuity.
SHA CEO Andrew Will, joined by Integrated Saskatoon Health Vice President John Ash and SHA Physician Executive Dr. Mark Fenton, announced on Friday, March 7, at the SHA Corporate Office inside the Saskatoon City Hospital, that the 109 beds will reduce the wait times of patients in emergency departments and improve their healthcare access.
“This means that patients will receive acute care in the right place. In an acute care bed, instead of waiting in the emergency department for admission to acute care, this creates a better patient experience and a better working environment for staff and physicians, particularly those working in emergency departments,” said Will during the media event.
“These efforts have already resulted in the addition of more than 310 full-time equivalent staff, 43 acute care beds, 84 long-term care beds, and 74 transition beds in Saskatoon. With this latest investment, we will add over 500 additional staff and increase acute care capacity to 879 beds in Saskatoon, marking a 14 per cent increase.”
The 109 beds benefit patients all over Saskatchewan, as Saskatoon hospitals serve as tertiary facilities, providing essential and specialized care to patients across the province. To support acute care expansion, the SHA will recruit 500 additional healthcare staff, including physicians, and renovate the city hospital.
Will said the SHA acknowledges that the current capacity pressure in hospital emergency departments creates a challenging environment for patients and healthcare staff who continue to provide excellent care. They will also transition some outpatient services to commercial spaces in the community, including SHA-operated public health clinics in Market Mall.
“Every day, our healthcare teams provide high-quality care, often under challenging circumstances. We know that emergency department patients, staff, and physicians deal with daily capacity pressures driven by increasingly complex patient needs and a record population growth in Saskatchewan,” added Will.
“I would like to thank each of those members of our health care teams, our physicians, nurses, paramedics, and support staff who continue to prioritize the needs of patients in their care. Most recently, we've had to reduce hours in the emergency department at Saskatoon City Hospital due to the lack of availability of physicians.”
Will said the Government of Saskatchewan’s support, which will provide a $15M investment through the Ministry of Health, is helping their commitment to alleviate the capacity pressures felt in emergency departments. The additional 109 beds are equivalent to having a new hospital in the City of Saskatoon.
On Thursday, March 6, the provincial government announced that the $15-million commitment is new money related to the current fiscal year ending this month. The SHA is also looking forward to additional funding in the coming provincial budget since increasing the 109-bed capacity is one of the government’s priorities.
Will said the SHA coordinates with emergency department physicians in the emergency rooms of Saskatoon hospitals. They have redeployed one Saskatoon City Emergency Department physician to ensure a full complement across the other two ERs and minimize the impact on patient access.
“The SHA is working closely with emergency physicians and collaborating with the Ministry of Health on solutions, and we believe that [Friday’s] announcement is a significant step in doing this. On average, we have 55 patients waiting in emergency departments for acute care beds. By adding these 109 beds, we directly reduce the number of patients waiting in [EDs] for admission to acute care, helping to alleviate pressure on emergency care services and improving timely access to care. This means that patients will receive acute care in the right place. In an acute care bed, instead of waiting in the emergency department for admission to acute care, this creates a better patient experience and a better working environment for staff and physicians, particularly those working in emergency departments,” Will said.
