No patients in hallways, vows SRHA boss

The CEO of the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority (SRHA) is committed to making sure patients aren’t left in hallways during visits to the emergency room, following a recent case where exactly that happened.

Earlier this week, Audrey Enns’ father ended up in the emergency room at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital (RUH). He was set up in a bed behind a curtain before being taken for a CT scan in the morning. But when he was wheeled back to the same area, his bed had been given away. For the next eight hours, he was left on a gurney in front of the nurses central station while he suffered from nausea and pain. He was treated by a doctor, with the specifics of his medical conditions discussed, while nurses and patients walked right by. The 88-year-old stayed in the high-traffic area with no curtained-off space until Enns took him home.

“It was absolutely disgusting to watch my dad be treated like this,” said Enns.

Dan Florizone, CEO of the SRHA, admits using hallway space for overflow is the status quo; but he is determined to change that.

“I’ve set a target that no patient should be waiting in temporary spots, in hallways, in any area that’s not dedicated for in-patient care,” he said. “There’s going to be a new status quo, and it’s going to involve no patients waiting or being delayed in the care that they receive.”

Florizone is challenging SRHA employees to improve the way patients are treated. He has been on the job for a little over three months but was bold in his commitment to making sure nobody has the same experiences as Enns’ father.

“The commitment is there. We’ll do as much as we can in terms of must do, can’t fail,” he said.

That falls under the easier-said-than-done category, but Florizone has already taken steps to try and improve the quality of patient care.

He has spoken to close to 5,000 SRHA employees and generated more than 480 ideas on how to improve the way SRHA runs. There are three teams working full-time over the next three months to generate more ideas. The goal is to implement those ideas and continue on with the ones that are working.

“IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING TO WATCH MY DAD BE TREATED LIKE

THIS.” AUDREY ENNS

“If it works, we’ll do it and spread it. If it doesn’t work, we’ll fail it — and fast,” said Florizone.

He wants to improve the way the health region predicts and prepares for hightraffic times and ensure unnecessary trips to the emergency room are avoided, such as making sure more seniors in long-term care facilities are attended to without an ambulance ride to the hospital.

Enns, who saw her concerns raised during question period by the NDP on Thursday, said it’s nice to know her concerns are being heard.

“If that’s the case, I will be very, very pleased. I’m not going to hold my breath,” she said.

NDP leader Cam Broten said seniors deserve quality care and what happened to Enns’ dad isn’t acceptable.

“Let’s do some actual things on the front lines that could improve care,” he said.