The Saskatchewan Health Authority is moving forward on a phased service resumption plan aimed at fully restoring acute and emergency services in Wolseley.

In April 2020, The Wolseley Memorial Union Hospital was converted to an Alternate Level of Care site, for use during the pandemic. Almost three years later, the current reopening date is dependent on recruitment for the positions.

“Our highest priority as an organization is to recruit and retain the required health care personnel to stabilize and enhance services in every corner of our province, supporting access to care as close to home as possible,” said Andrew Will, CEO. “I recently met with community leaders in Wolseley. I am thankful for their patience and support as we have worked through staffing challenges, targeting specific recruitment initiatives to attract key health care personnel to Wolseley, and hearing ideas from staff about how we can adapt our strategies to more quickly resume services.”

One of the solutions identified by local team members was the proposal to re-open emergency services in one wing of the long-term care facility rather than its regular space.

The SHA hopes this solution will enable the partial re-opening of emergency services earlier than was previously thought possible by creating efficiencies between the emergency department staff and the long-term care staff through the co-location of services.

This physical relocation will be temporary until recruitment initiatives enable the full restoration of emergency services in their normal space. Co-location will not impact the long-term care services currently provided.

The target date for a full resumption of emergency and acute care services at Wolseley will depend on the successful recruitment of appropriate staffing. The SHA is actively recruiting to address staff shortages in many areas including Diagnostic Services and Nursing. 

“The SHA is committed to fully restoring emergency and acute care services in Wolseley and to engaging with community leaders at each phase of this process,” said Will. “Thank you to the community of Wolseley and surrounding area for your patience, understanding, and ongoing support.”

The following four phases are being used as a framework for increasing emergency room (ER) services in Wolseley as appropriate personnel are recruited and on-boarded to provide services:

Phase 1 – Partial ER Resumption – Date dependent on recruitment

  • In-person Physician coverage Monday-Friday
  • Hours of ER operation: 8:30 am-4 pm, Monday to Friday
  • Requires one Registered Nurse (RN) and one Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

Phase 2 – Extend ER hours using virtual care – date dependent on recruitment, virtual care rollout

  • In-person Physician coverage Monday to Friday
  • Weekend Physician coverage virtual with Indian Head
  • Hours of ER operation: 8:30am-4pm, seven days/week
  • Requires two RNs and two LPNs

Phase 3 – Continue to increase ER services

  • In-person Physician coverage Monday to Friday
  • Weekend and evening Physician coverage virtual with Indian Head
  • Hours of ER operation: 0830-7:30 pm, seven days/week
  • Requires three RN and three LPNs

Phase 4 – Resumption of Acute Care and Emergency Services

  • Acute care/observation beds resume operation
  • Weekend, evening and night emergency physician coverage virtual from Indian Head
  • Requires 5 RNs and 5 LPNs