Thursday afternoon, new NDP Leader Carla Beck joined Shellbrook Hospital healthcare workers and concerned community members as it cut its acute care beds in half because of a staffing shortage..“Healthcare workers from Shellbrook have joined me in front of the hospital because they feel this government is refusing to admit that our health system is in crisis,” said Beck. .The Saskatchewan Health Authority did not notify the public about the closures. The hospital is in Premier Scott Moe's riding..“If the premier can find time to fly to New York on the taxpayer’s dime, there’s no excuse for him to ignore the concerns of healthcare workers and the obstacles to their retention in his own backyard,” said Beck..Shellbrook is the only acute care centre within a 100-mile radius, with smaller communities and reserves relying on the hospital..On May 1, a Shellbrook healthcare worker asked the Shellbrook Hospital management about what steps were being taken to fix the staffing shortage..On May 19, the healthcare worker received written notice of a bed reduction of five beds out of 20 to be closed..However, since May 20, 2022, there have been 10 beds closed..The healthcare workers were told the extra five beds closed are because of a staffing shortage from the summer holidays and they will reopen at some point in July..Before the new acute bed closures, often all the beds were full and the ambulances would bypass the hospital, as new patients could not be accepted..The ramifications of the bypassing meant that patients had to travel further for care, wait longer, and the delays could be deadly..CUPE General Vice President for the Region Sharon Paul wants Saskatchewan residents to know that there is a recruitment and retention crisis happening in the province..“We are in the midst of a recruitment and retention crisis in rural Saskatchewan. Unless steps are taken to improve working conditions in healthcare, I am afraid for the future of care in Shellbrook,” said Paul..“I am afraid for my family members who live in the service area. Where will they go when these beds are filled? What will happen when they need lab tests and samples have to be sent to Saskatoon? What will happen when they need an x-ray and we have no x-ray techs? These are questions being faced by healthcare workers across the province.”.The staff wants the public to know that it is not just Shellbrook suffering a staff shortage, Spiritwood Emergency Services often faces shutdowns and its patients get redirected to Shellbrook..Shellbrook is short-staffed in all areas, not just acute care. It is short-staffed in the lab, continuing care assistants, licensed practical nurses, and diagnostics.
