Severe staffing shortages in Regina General radiology unit led to patient deaths: health-care workers

A recently leaked letter from health-care workers at Regina General Hospital alleges that patients have died after not receiving urgent, life-saving interventions due to severe staffing shortages in the hospital's interventional radiology unit.

The leaked letter says that, among other issues, only four out of 10 interventional radiology technologist positions and four of nine nursing positions are filled at Regina General. 

Regina health-care workers joined the Opposition NDP at the Saskatchewan Legislature Thursday morning. When the NDP raised the issues outlined in the letter, Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said he had not seen it. He told reporters later that his ministry will review the letter to understand the issues.

Dionne Wagner, the Canadian Union of Public Employees area representative for Regina's Pasqua Hospital, said she had a meeting with the Ministry of Health three weeks ago.

"[Cockrill] is definitely well aware of the concerns that are going on in our health care," said Wagner.

A multimillion-dollar radiology suite at Pasqua Hospital is not being used due to short-staffing, according to the health-care workers' letter. 

Wagner said she has emails coming in "non-stop" from the radiology department because of short staffing, worries about worker and patient safety, and long waits for patient care. 

Morale at Pasqua has been down for quite a few years, said Wagner.

"People are completely burned out. They're trying to stay positive. They love their careers," she said.

"But when it comes down to it and you're [lacking] sleep and you're working 36 hours, how can you actually stay positive for that long without actually getting some backup from the government?"

Gerri Grant, a signatory on the letter, was an interventional radiology technologist for 17 years at Regina General Hospital. She decided to resign last summer.  

"I gave up a really fabulous, engaging career after just watching my co-workers struggle, myself struggle with that work-life balance," said Grant, who added that professionals in her department were taking on-call work at an "excessive rate."

"You would be working your regular shifts, as well as on-call, watching patients suffer. I couldn't see that anymore. We watched the delays in their care harm them, and that's not something I could handle anymore."

Grant said staffing shortages have been a problem for years, but have become much worse. She said other interventional radiology technologists have also left their jobs due to the conditions. 

Another one of the many calls for action in the workers' letter is for the Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority to ensure proper training for all new hires, so that all workers are fully capable of performing their required duties.

Personnel also want the ministry to address work-life balance concerns by finding sustainable solutions for on-call coverage and overtime, instead of relying on existing staff to "absorb the burden."

Read the health-care workers' letter below:

Radiology groups working to stabilize services: minister

Cockrill told reporters that in recent months, the Saskatchewan Health Authority signed contracts with two Regina-based radiology groups that will work to stabilize radiology services. 

"So obviously, as we get those agreements up and running and in place, that should help to stabilize radiology services," the health minister said.

Registered nurses are also getting enhanced training that will help ease the burden and get patients faster service, he said.

"We certainly understand it's challenging when you're running short on a unit. That's exactly why we're working to train more, recruit more, [to] make the work environment better for the people on the floor working to provide care for patients," Cockrill said. 

The minister said he expects SHA leadership and front-line managers to work on that every single day.

"That's their job, to execute and deliver — deliver the health-care system in this province," he said. "[It's] something that I remind the Saskatchewan Health Authority often, and then pushing them to do all the time."

Meanwhile, the signatories of the letter said they want increased communication about improvement plans between the ministry and health-care workers.