When Essential Care Crumbles: The Quiet Crisis Stalling Saskatoon's Hospital

There’s a quiet, rather unsettling crisis unfolding within the walls of Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital, and honestly, it’s far more than just a bureaucratic hiccup. We’re talking about a critical shortage of occupational therapists, and a recently leaked memo — stark and unvarnished — really pulls back the curtain on just how deeply this is impacting patient care. It’s not just about numbers; it’s about real people, real lives, caught in a system under immense, perhaps unsustainable, pressure.

You see, occupational therapists, or OTs as they’re often called, are absolutely foundational to patient recovery, especially when it comes to getting folks home safely and efficiently. They’re the ones assessing if a patient can manage daily tasks, ordering vital equipment like wheelchairs or grab bars, conducting crucial home assessments, and basically ensuring a smooth, safe transition from hospital bed to home life. And yet, at RUH, the adult inpatient department was reportedly staggering along with just three full-time equivalent OTs trying to do the work of eight. Think about that for a moment – three people doing the job of nearly a dozen. It’s an almost unfathomable workload.

This isn't just an inconvenience; it’s a systemic strain with tangible consequences. The memo, sent by the department’s own manager, highlighted “significant disruptions” across the board. We’re talking about substantial delays in discharge planning, a real nightmare for patients eager to leave and for the hospital needing beds. Equipment ordering? Stalled. Home assessments? Backlogged. And that, in turn, means patients stay in the hospital longer than they need to, creating a domino effect that triggers “overcapacity protocols” and leaves other patients waiting for admission. It’s a vicious cycle, isn’t it?

Naturally, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has acknowledged these challenges. And to their credit, they’ve called OTs