The Saskatchewan Health Authority has announced it is moving forward with the next phase of its surge plan 鈥� one that will include redeployment of staff and service slow downs.
The surge plan is meant to deal with the projected demand for COVID-19 patients in the next two weeks and allow the SHA to redeploy upwards of 600 full-time equivalent staff for pandemic response.
The SHA acknowledged the health care system had been under intense pressure due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks.
鈥淭o date we managed this pressure largely by maximizing our existing capacity,鈥� SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said at a news conference in Regina. 鈥淥ur ability to do that is over. Case surges have been too high and projected case growth in the next two weeks is even higher. We need to act now and we have.鈥�
Derek Miller of the SHA outlined the surge plan at the news conference. Among the highlights of the first phase of that plan as laid out in an SHA news release are the following:
They are looking at creating ICU capacity for 64 COVID patients requiring ICU care by mid-December to keep pace with demand. As context, this is the equivalent to 28 per cent more ICU beds than currently exist right now in Saskatoon and Regina combined.
To keep pace with growth in demand the plan is for creation of capacity to accommodate upwards of 250 COVID-19-positive patients requiring inpatient hospitalization in the next two weeks. This represents the capacity of Cypress Regional Hospital and Prince Albert Victoria Hospital combined.
The SHA are looking to increase contact tracing to accommodate the 560 average cases per day at that point in time, including keeping pace with more than 6,000 hours of work per day created for contact tracers by mid-December.
They are also looking to create a pool of health care workers who can respond to outbreaks in long term care facilities and community hospitals, and who can be ready to step in for staff who have had to isolate and avoid critical service disruptions in those facilities.
There has been increased staffing over the past number of weeks, but SHA is not enough. To meet the demand, there will be service slowdowns in other areas to allow for the redeployment of upwards of 600 staff into the areas of testing, contact tracing, and to expand hospital and ICU capacity.
Services slowing down, according to a SHA news release, include some primary health care services, a reduction in elective surgeries in Saskatoon and Regina, reduced endoscopy/cystoscopy procedures, reduced Women and Children鈥檚 Programming, diagnostics, therapies, ambulatory care, registration resources, environmental and food and nutrition services, rehab services and home care services.
These will still be available, but at reduced volumes ranging by location and service type. There will also be variation at different sites.
Miller told reporters that this is not a broad based reduction in services such as what was undertaken in the spring. Instead, this is described as 鈥渁 much more finely-tuned adjustment in multiple areas,鈥� said Miller.
The SHA says surge plans will be reviewed week to week based on the modelling available for either further slowdowns or to start resuming services. Miller says the plan is to take a 鈥渄immer switch鈥� approach to scale up or down so they could stay ahead of the COVID-19 demand curve.
The SHA regrets having to slow down services but stressed the need to take action.
鈥淏y not acting right now, on behalf of the health system, we have the potential to be overwhelmed,鈥� Livingstone said.聽 鈥淭his would risk our ability to care for the most urgent patients in Covid and non-Covid settings.鈥�
