New short-stay mental health unit opens at Royal University Hospital

A new short-stay mental health unit in Saskatoon is boosting access and support for people in need of urgent care.

The seven-bed unit at Royal University Hospital is for adult patients requiring a short stay in hospital for a variety of reasons, such as adjusting medications or dealing with a short-term crisis. Stays can be up to seven days.

“We’ve really worked hard over the last few years on improving our services and being more responsive to people that need mental health support,” says Karyn Kawula, director of Inpatient, Mental Health, Addiction Services at the Saskatchewan Health Authority in Saskatoon.

She says short-stay patients receive more focused care at the unit, enabling them to transition back to the community more quickly. The unit serves as a complement to the longer-term mental health facility at the Leslie and Irene Dubé Centre for Mental Health.

“It’s a smaller unit, and the patient-staff ratio is such that they can spend more time with you and provide more intensive treatment so that your needs are met,” says Kawula.

“By separating that population into a smaller unit, you have the time and attention of the care team, and therefore be able to focus more fully on immediate needs and transitioning in a short time frame back home again.”

The unit is staffed aroundthe-clock by two nurses, with two continuing care aids covering 16 hours each day along with security services. A psychiatrist is on-site five days a week, with evenings and weekends filled by an on-call psychiatrist.

The team has access to addictions support, recreational therapy and social workers, who help determine what supports patients may need once leaving the facility.

“Because they are there for a short time, it takes place more quickly in terms of coordinating care in the community, whether they need counselling, addiction services or a day hospital program,” she says. “Those supports are set up before the person leaves the hospital.”

ADDRESSING NEEDS

Kawula says the unit is a big step in addressing the pressures and wait times for those in need of urgent intervention and care.

“It provides better access to acute care, primarily by providing more beds, but also by directing the care to the appropriate space,” she says.

She notes while mental health is still somewhat of a taboo subject, people are becoming more open about talking about it and, with that, comes the need for additional support.

“I do believe there is a stigma associated with experiencing a mental illness, but because people are more open, they may be more willing to seek services than they were previously.”

She says the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic—with all the changes and challenges it brought to many—has shed light on mental health issues.

“The pandemic has certainly brought more dialogue about mental health and the mental health challenges associated with it.”

PERMANENT SPACE

The unit opened midfebruary 2021 and is built in space left vacant after the relocation of the RUH adult emergency department.

The hospital has had a temporary mental health assessment unit since 2018, installed while construction was underway on the new emergency department. When the new ER opened, the assessment area was designated as a “mental health flex space.”

Patients who received care in that space are now cared for in the new, permanent short-stay unit.

Funding for the $1.1 million capital renovation costs came from the Government of Saskatchewan, with the province providing a further $1.55 million in annual operating costs.

The Royal University Hospital Foundation, along with the Dubé family, has been a major donor in support of mental health care at RUH, including the temporary assessment unit.

Construction of the permanent space began in August 2020 after being delayed slightly in March due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re really pleased with how the unit turned out,” says Kawula. “It’s a beautiful space and conducive to mental health treatment and recovery.”