NDP says staffing issues unsolved in plan to help Saskatoon hospitals

The Saskatchewan NDP says the provincial government’s plan to address overcrowding at Saskatoon hospitals isn’t going to address persistent problems with staffing.

The plan announced on Tuesday included steps like adding more acute-care beds, providing care in settings outside of hospitals and redeploying workers to help relieve pressure. Earlier this month, the city’s fire department visited St. Paul’s Hospital and found fire code issues due to the number of beds in the building’s hallways.

Carla Beck, leader of the Saskatchewan NDP, praised the efforts of the Saskatchewan Health Authority officials involved in drafting the plan, but said she still had concerns.

“I think it would surprise people that this wasn’t already the plan in the first place,” Beck.

“Where is the staff going to come from? This is the most persistent issue in our health-care system is the lack of staffing.”

Beck said long shifts, a lack of staff and crowded conditions are not new problems, and the issues have been regularly raised by workers and NDP critics.

“In fact, we see an unwillingness on the part of this government to even meet with health-care workers to hear what their experience is, and work with them to find those solutions,” she said.

“People who work in our emergency rooms know that they have been 100-per-cent over capacity 100-per-cent of the time, for months,” Beck added.

Everett Hindley, Saskatchewan’s health minister, said the health authority’s CEO and senior vice-presidents do meet with and listen to workers, including those in Saskatoon.

“It’s my understanding they regularly visit front-line facilities and hospitals to talk to front-line health-care workers, and I understand that they were out there this weekend as well,” Hindley said.

Health Minister Everett Hindley said he hopes newly proposed measures by the SHA will address concerns around crowded hospitals. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Hindley said it’s important to note there have been a number of steps taken already to alleviate overcrowding, such as adding more beds.

When asked about staff shortages, Hindley said that short-term measures like bringing in additional staff weekends and into emergency rooms should provide some relief as long-term solutions are implemented.

“(I’m) hopeful that these steps will help address the concerns, but again recognizing that this needs to be a constant, continuous improvement and (we’ll) continue to monitor the situation and make decisions and implement actions as quickly as we can,” Hindley said.

A multi-year action plan aiming to add 1,000 more workers to Saskatchewan’s health-care system was launched in September of 2022.