Saskatoon StarPhoenix Staff
Acknowledging “frustrations from patients and communities” over emergency room closures and wait times, the Saskatchewan Health Authority says it is updating its public notification process.
The changes, which the SHA says will go into effect in early November, are expected to include the posting of all emergency service disruptions — regardless of length — on the SHA website. Updates will be shared daily at 4 p.m., seven days a week, the SHA said.
The announcement on Thursday came the exact same day as the NDP’s long-expected introduction of a private member’s bill that would require prompt public notice being given any time a rural hospital closes.
The SHA currently posts service disruptions lasting seven days or more.
“The SHA is committed to providing patients, families and communities with reliable and accurate information about the availability of emergency services, and we acknowledge frustrations from patients and communities about our current reporting process,” chief operating officer Derek Miller said on Thursday.
“These changes will ensure that accurate and reliable information about service availability will be consistently available to the public while our teams work to restore emergency services impacted by temporary disruptions.”
In recent days, NDP Leader Carla Beck said an area of focus during the current legislative session will be ensuring the public is aware of emergency room closures. Beck said the technology is in place to provide real-time information, stressing the importance of people knowing quickly whether or not an ER is open.
“Right now, people don’t know,” Beck said last week.
The NDP’s private member’s bill, introduced by Rural and Remote Health critic Jared Clarke, would require a public note digitally within one hour of a closure.
The NDP cited SHA data — obtained via a freedom of information request — showing that between November 2023 and May 2025, the total number of emergency service closures hit 643.
In a recent high-profile example of the public not being alerted to a closure, the SHA originally denied in late-September that the emergency room in Herbert was closed — when that had been the case since early August.
The SHA at first denied service disruptions, saying the “emergency department remains open; therefore, it has not been posted as a long-term disruption on the SHA website.”
Days later, the SHA said service disruptions affecting diagnostic imaging and laboratory services led to a temporary closure of the emergency department. The next day, the SHA attributed it to an error caused by a misunderstanding within SHA communications of service availability.
The health authority said it apologized “for any confusion or concern” that had been created.
“Someone in need of care is going to show up to a closed emergency room and die as a result,” Clarke said. “It’s only a matter of time.”
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This week, the SHA said that since changes to the availability of emergency services can happen on short notice, not all disruptions may be posted immediately on the service disruption website.
Signage at the affected facility, the SHA said, is posted immediately and information “will be reflected in the next daily update.” As well, the SHA noted, HealthLine 811 will have real-time information available.
After the implementation of the new process, the SHA said, it will “be continuing system improvements with a goal of providing real-time, public updates regarding the status of emergency service disruptions.”
