Saskatoon City Hospital ER to close at 4 p.m. until end of June

For the fourth time since mid-February Saskatoon City Hospital’s emergency department has reduced its hours of operation, this time until June 27, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said in a news release on Friday.

In the latest announcement the SHA reduced hours even further than before as well, saying the the hospital’s ER, usually open from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., would now close at 4 p.m. from March 17. Previous reduced hours saw the department closing at 6 p.m.

Read more:

• Sask. health minister plans to review SHA management, recruitment
• Dental hygienists urge federal parties to keep funding dental care program
• Moe hopes new urgent care centres will help struggling Sask. hospitals

On Feb 14, the SHA said the ER hours would be reduced from Feb. 15 to Feb. 23, “based on physician availability” and then said on Feb. 21 the hours were extended until March 2 for the same reason.

On Feb 28, SHA gave the same reason for extending the reduced hours until March 9, and on March 7 again said hours would be reduced until March 16.

The SHA said in the Feb. 28 release it “continues to take action to ensure consistent access to health-care services” and has added that explanation to all its notices about reduced hours.

In its March 14 announcement, SHA said that “by redeploying physician resources to the other Saskatoon emergency departments and the planned addition of 109 acute care beds at Saskatoon City Hospital, we are ensuring patients receive the best possible care.”

Anyone needing emergency department services after 6 p.m. until March 16 and after 4 p.m. from March 17 should go to Royal University Hospital or St. Paul’s Hospital Emergency Department and people with non-emergency medical concerns can call HealthLine 811 or visit a walk-in clinic.

On March 7, the Government of Saskatchewan announced it was giving the hospital $15 million in 2025 to purchase 109 acute care beds, upgrade equipment and expand acute care services.

Part of the money will also go towards recruiting an additional 500 staff and physicians to help care for the added capacity.

“We’ve committed to add 22 acute rehabilitation beds, 12 acquired brain injury beds, 60 general medicine beds and 15 high acuity beds,” said Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Andrew Will in a press conference at the time.

Will said the goal of the new beds was to help make it easier for patients waiting in the emergency department at the hospital to move into acute care, which has been a problem in the past.

“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 emergency departments for admission to acute care, helping to alleviate pressure on emergency care services and improving timely access to care,” Will said.

“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 experience for patients,” Will added.

Will also said he was confident the SHA will be able to recruit health-care workers for the related soon-to-be-created jobs.

— with files from Shane Clausing

Read more:

• Sask. health minister plans to review SHA management, recruitment
• Moe hopes new urgent care centres will help struggling Sask. hospitals
• Health groups urge shielding medical supplies, devices from counter-tariffs