The board of Prairie North Regional Health Authority has approved revised plans for replacement of Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford (SHNB).
The plans were presented to board members by consultants Tim Rommel and Ron McIntyre of Cannon Design at an Oct. 27 meeting.
Cannon had worked with Prairie North and stakeholders to develop the SHNB replacement plan presented in 2007. Since then, PNHR had been asked by the province to review the scope of the project under revised planning parameters. Rommel and McIntyre told PNRHA Board members the need for a new facility to replace the 100-year-old structure remains acute.
The re-scoped Saskatchewan Hospital Replacement Project has broadened to become more of a provincial strategy for psychiatric mental health rehabilitation across the continuum of services, and recognizes the demand for mental health services is increasing, according to a PNHR press release.
In addition to the need for a new psychiatric rehabilitation facility, a key consideration included the changing approach in mental health toward a recovery model of patient care, with as much care available close to home as possible.
The re-scoping exercise was conducted through the lens of Patient First to focus on patient- and family-centred care, the release states. Numerous stakeholders including patients, staff and other regional health authorities were involved in review of the project. Patient needs were reviewed and re-verified.
The proposed size of the new facility was re-evaluated in concert with program requirements. The intended location was reviewed and reaffirmed.
The revised Saskatchewan Hospital Replacement Project calls for construction of a new 186-bed provincial facility in North Battleford, plus development of a total 120 post-Saskatchewan Hospital residential support spaces in North Battleford and other communities in the province. The 2007 plan called for construction of a 204-bed hospital, plus 32 reintegration spaces in the Battlefords. The proposed location for the new Saskatchewan Hospital remains as recommended in 2007: on the current Saskatchewan Hospital site, slightly northwest of the existing buildings. The site and new facility are intended to provide maximum flexibility to meet future needs.
The new plan has been shared with residents and staff of SHNB, as well as with stakeholders involved in the planning and re-scoping process. The plan will now be presented to the leaders of Saskatchewan's other RHAs for their support, then on to the Ministry of Health and provincial government for funding consideration and approval to proceed.
