SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) are taking issue with claims that the overcrowding conditions at Royal University Hospital (RUH) are caused by seasonal flu.
A video went viral last week depicting scenes of patients in beds in the hallways outside the emergency room at RUH. There were also media reports of complaints about unsanitary conditions for patients.
In a conference call with reporters soon after the story broke, John Ash, vice-president, Integrated Saskatoon Health for Saskatchewan Health Authority, acknowledged there were capacity pressures at Royal University Hospital.
"Certainly myself personally and the rest of the SHA were very much aware of recent capacity increases we had at Royal University Hospital last week," said Ash earlier.
He pointed to a number of reasons for the "heightened volume" in the emergency department at RUH, saying a compacting factor was certainly the early presence of some of our seasonal flu but that was one of many reasons going forward."
In a Facebook post, SUN pointed to the SaskToday story and said it sparked a negative reaction among SUN members at RUH.
“We are unable to calm the outrage felt by SUN members at Royal University Hospital Emergency Department who now contact us daily with escalating fears for patients and feelings of frustration from being ignored for far too long. It’s not safe in the emergency department – It’s not just seasonal. Registered nurses have solutions,” they stated.
Their Facebook page also posted one email response attributed to one of the nurses, which stated the following:
“I read the article on SaskToday about ‘Uproar erupts over video of overcrowded hospital hallways in Saskatoon.’ I was disappointed to read… (SHA’s) John Ash’s comments on the situation, blaming the hallway beds on ‘surge times’ and the ‘flu season.’ That is a blatant lie. Hallway beds are not due to a ‘surge,’ they are now routine. The fact of the matter is that hallway beds are so routine, they are even named: ‘E pod’ and ‘F pod.’ … What next? Are we going all the way to Z?”
In Saskatoon on Monday, NDP Associate Health Critic Keith Jorgenson demanded that Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill see the situation for himself.
“Clearly, the health-care crisis is getting even worse — even when we thought that wasn’t possible,” said Jorgenson in a statement.
“People in desperate need of care are being piled on top of each other in hallways while they suffer in agony and have no privacy… I am calling on Sask. Party Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill to get off his chair, head to Royal University Hospital himself and witness firsthand the failures of his Sask. Party government. Perhaps then, he will take this crisis seriously.”
In a statement, the SHA reiterated that current capacity pressures in Saskatoon “are being driven by several compounding factors, including high patient volumes and increased complexity of emergency presentations, such as those related to respiratory viruses.”
But SHA also noted in their response that there were decreased numbers compared to last year.
“Over the past two weeks, Saskatoon’s hospitals have seen a 16 percent decrease in the number of patients waiting in emergency departments for admission to acute care, although current levels remain approximately 30 percent higher than the current three-month average. Compared to the same timeframe over the past two years, the current three-month average of patients waiting in emergency departments for admission to acute care is 12 percent lower than the same period in 2024 and 17 percent lower than in 2023, reflecting the progress made in addressing capacity pressures through the Saskatoon Capacity Pressure Action Plan.”
SHA added that they "acknowledge that capacity pressures create a difficult environment for patients who are seeking care in our emergency departments, and for staff and paramedics who continue to provide excellent care. The SHA continues to take immediate action to address these capacity pressures by working diligently to return patients to their home locations and improve flow through Saskatoon hospitals, including enhancements to improve emergency room wait times.”
They also point to ongoing efforts to add acute care capacity in Saskatoon, including the expansion of 109 acute care inpatient beds at Saskatoon City Hospital over the coming year.
“This expansion at the Saskatoon City Hospital will help ease pressures at the Royal University Hospital,” they stated.
