Chief Executive Officer's Report
I’m pleased to provide you the following report about key decisions and discussion items from the May 30 and June 26, 2024 Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) Board of Directors public meetings.
Please feel free to get in touch with corporate office at info@saskhealthauthority.ca with questions about any of the items that follow.
May 30, 2024 Public Meeting of the Board
CEO Report: Highlighting Numerous SHA Team Accomplishments
The SHA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) highlighted significant progress in attracting health care workers in Saskatchewan, with recruitment strategies focusing on provincial, national and international markets. The Saskatchewan Health Authority has interviewed and provided conditional offers to over 400 Internationally Educated Nurses. As of April, 234 of the 250 positions in new and enhanced positions have been added to support rural and remote stabilization in communities where emergency room and acute care are in service disruption or at risk of service disruption.
As part of the Government of Saskatchewan’s commitment in Mental Health and Addictions to increase capacity by adding 500 new treatment beds over the course of the next five years, the SHA executed service agreements for 253 new addiction treatment spaces in the last fiscal year in communities across the province. The implementation of the Mental Health and Addictions Information System in community-based Mental Health and Addictions Services was completed on schedule with Regina successfully transitioning to the system in January and February 2024. With the completion of this milestone, community-based mental health and addictions services have one electronic health record.
In response to increasing overcapacity across Saskatchewan hospitals, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has developed individual Saskatoon and Regina Capacity Pressure Action Plans to identify immediate and longer-term deliverables to address capacity pressures, specifically focused on ensuring patients are receiving the safe, quality care they need in the appropriate setting in a safe manner, closer to home. Both plans have seen the immediate addition of more staff, more beds, and additional supports for both patients and staff in acute care and community care settings.
Saskatchewan’s surgical teams achieved another record-breaking year for surgical volumes in 2023-24 surpassing the high volume recorded last year. More than 975,000 surgeries were performed between April 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024, the highest annual surgical volume ever recorded. The Orthopedic Model Line work has established the first provincial central intake referral system for patients needing knee and hip replacement surgery. During the 2023-24 fiscal year, the Department of Medical Imaging provided CT services for 154,499 patients, and MRI services for 41,738 patients. This is the largest number of CT and MRI patients ever seen in a given year in Saskatchewan.
Chief Medical Officer’s Report: Priority work on the Health Human Resources Plan and Physician Recruitment
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO), in the quarterly report to the Saskatchewan Health Authority, advised that the physician Health Human Resources (HHR) plan significantly progressed through the 2023-24 fiscal year with the collection and analysis of provincial data accompanied by the development of dashboards to allow data to be viewed and used by Area and Department leadership. The dashboards allow for a better understanding of our current workforce and supports the recruitment of physicians. The SHA is partnering with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency (SHRA) on a coordinated approach to physician recruitment and retention.
The SHA supported the investments made by the Government of Saskatchewan (GoS) to accomplish the success of programs such as the enhancement of the Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP), the Anesthesiology Pre-licensure Assessment (PLA) Program and new incentive packages for Anesthesiology and Psychiatry in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Expansion of the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) seats work to support the recruitment and retention of family medicine physicians.
The SHA celebrates the recruitment of 213 physicians to the SHA in 2023-24 which includes 97 specialist physicians and 116 family physicians. The SHA also celebrates the appointment of Dr. Terry Klassen as the new Provincial Head for the Department of Pediatrics for both the SHA and the College of Medicine (CoM).
Strategy Roadmap
The Executive Leadership Team (ELT) presented the 2024-25 Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) Roadmap. The Roadmap is the SHA’s delivery plan to execute on this year’s budget commitments as well as advance key priorities for the SHA.
The 2024-25 SHA Roadmap is once again focused on four key areas to continue the momentum built during the implementation of last year’s roadmap:
- Investing in our most valuable resource—our people;
- Responsive mental health and addiction services;
- Providing seamless care as close to home as possible; and
- Enhancing patient care through responsible financial stewardship, better flow of information and renewed facility infrastructure.
The SHA officially launched the Roadmap April 24, 2024 which has now been approved by the Board of Directors. The Board played an important role in this plan, providing input at different times earlier this year during the planning cycle.
2024-25 Budget Plan and 2024-25 Capital Expenditure Plan Approvals
The Government of Saskatchewan delivered the provincial budget estimates on March 20, 2024 with the theme of “Classrooms, Care & Communities.” The SHA received its Accountability letter and Ministry of Health Plan and information included in those documents have been used to prepare the 2024-25 SHA Budget Plan and 2024-25 Capital Expenditure Plan. The SHA Budget Plan is prepared on a consolidated basis and consists of SHA operating budget and capital budgets.
The SHA will achieve ensuring sustainability into the future through prioritizing services while demonstrating financial stewardship and accountability.
The Board of Directors approved the 2024-25 consolidated Budget Plan and adjustments to the approved 2024-25 Capital Expenditure plan as presented.
Other Items of Note
- SHA Audited Financial Statement Year Ended March 31, 2024: The audit of the 2023/24 financial statement of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is substantially complete. The SHA audited financial statements will be released publicly, in alignment with the 2023-24 Saskatchewan Health Authority Annual Report at the end of July, 2024. The Board of Directors approved the consolidated audited financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2024.
- External Auditor Appointment: The Audit Finance and Risk Committee (AFRC) has again recommended that the Board appoint the Office of the Provincial Auditor (OPA) as its independent auditor, as it has since the fiscal year end of 2017-18. To date, SHA has completed seven successful year end audits with the OPA. The SHA Board endorsed the re-appointment of the OPA as its independent auditor for the fiscal year 2024-25.
- CEO Accountability Agreements 2023-24 and 2024-25: As outlined in the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) General Bylaws, one of the duties of the Board is to establish and review the priorities and performance of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the SHA. The SHA Board approved the Accountability Agreements as recommended by the Governance & Human Resources Committee (GHRC).
June 26, 2024 Special Meeting of the Board
At its June 26 meeting, the Board reviewed and approved the 2023-24 Saskatchewan Health Authority Annual Report, pending adjustments based on final feedback from the Ministers of Health. The Annual Report is prepared to reflect the key work of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) for the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The annual report is a legislated requirement demonstrating the SHA’s commitment to transparency and accountability. This year’s annual report highlights work towards initiatives outlined in the Ministry of Health’s 2023-24 Business Plan as well as the 2023-24 SHA Roadmap. It notes successes and milestones related to team-based care in the community, team-based care in hospitals, health human resources, cultural responsiveness, major capital projects, and mental health and addiction services. Additionally, the SHA identified three areas of focus outside of the initiatives mentioned in the Ministry of Health Plan for 2023-24 that are included. These additional strategic initiatives include improving staff safety and well-being, developing and empowering health-care teams, and the Saskatoon and Regina Capacity Pressure Action Plans. As legislated, the Ministry of Health will table the SHA Annual Report at the end of July, 2024.