Overcapacity at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon is prompting health and safety warnings

Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital was issued a notice of violation by a Saskatchewan occupational health and safety official due to overcapacity and the risks it poses to employees.

In the notice, shared on social media and verified by CBC, the occupational health officer acknowledges three issues – including obstruction of safe entry and exit areas and obstacles that could impact the health and well-being of staff – all caused by too much patients in the emergency room and in the surrounding area.

“I’m not the least bit surprised that that happened,” said Tracy Zambory, president of the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses.

“The phenomenon that has brought us to this breach at the Royal University Hospital is not new; it has been occurring and has been happening for almost years.”

After an inspection on Oct. 2, the health officer wrote that there were too many patients in the area, clogging spaces needed to transport equipment and posing a risk of workplace injuries.

It quoted the emergency department manager as saying 60 or more patients had been admitted with no beds available. The report also said the emergency room has 36 beds or chairs for patients and that there were more than 90 patients in need.

Saskatoon and Regina both published capacity pressure action plans to address the problems of overcrowding almost a year ago.

Zambory doesn’t believe either plan will work and blames overcrowding on “chronic understaffing,” a lack of primary health care providers and a flawed mental health and addictions strategy.

LOOK | A Saskatoon patient calls 911 to report himself as a fire hazard in a crowded hospital:

Saskatoon patient calls 911 to report himself as a fire hazard in a crowded hospital

Shaylyn Cowper waited seven hours for a bed in St. Paul’s emergency department. When nursing staff placed her in a bed near the main entrance, she called 911 to report the fire hazard.

Dennis Kendel is a retired physician with experience in health policy. He said there are not enough beds in hospitals and called this an important step towards solving the problem.

He doubts whether the action plans for capacity pressure can work effectively without more beds.

Solving long-term problems with overcapacity

John Ash, the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s vice-president for integrated health care in Saskatoon, said more than 250 staff and 40 additional permanent hospital beds have been added in Saskatoon, although more work remains to be done.

Ash said when there is excess capacity, space is created. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were about 40 spaces available at Saskatoon hospitals, he said.

Ash said the health authority has set up an incident command structure to manage capacity, including to help move people into long-term care homes more quickly or return patients to hospitals closer to home.

According to Ash, about 30 per cent of hospital patients come from other communities outside of Saskatoon and are seeking a higher level of specialized care.

Overcapacity is not unusual nationally, he said, and he expects Saskatoon to see periods of high capacity in emergency departments and hospitals.

“That’s going to happen and I think that’s the normal kind of cycles that we’re going to see all the time, and that’s not unique to Saskatoon; it’s not unique to Saskatchewan,” Ash said.

He said the goal, through the action plan and initiatives, is to reduce the frequency and intensity of the cycles.

According to the notice, all three health and safety issues must be resolved by November 1, 2024.

Ash said all work to meet these solutions is underway.

Provincial party leaders are taking action

When asked about the push in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe pointed to the Urgent Care Center in Regina, calling it a successful pilot project so far, and said that model is being replicated in Saskatoon.

“I don’t know if any one of those facilities in each of those communities is going to be enough; we will probably have to look further,” he said.

Moe said hospitals also need additional health care workers. He said the government is committed to hiring and retaining health care workers, which is disputed by the Saskatchewan NDP.

NDP Leader Carla Beck said the first step is addressing staffing levels.

After that, she said, her party’s priority is to look elsewhere, such as reforming ambulance services, reopening the Saskatoon City Hospital emergency room and addressing primary care issues so patients can be treated by general practitioners or in their home community.

“The solutions that I just put forward and that we put forward were developed in collaboration with those working on the front lines,” she said.