CEO Report - September 28, 2023

CEO Report: Highlights of strategic priorities focused work accomplishments

The SHA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) highlighted a number of areas within our strategic roadmap that have seen steady progress in the past number of months. The Saskatchewan Health Authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and our partners continue to make progress attracting health care workers to Saskatchewan as part of the work in the Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan to recruit, train, incentivize and retain health care workers across the province. For example, there have been 443 new nursing graduates from in and out-of-province hired from April 1, 2023 to August 16, 2023. Other areas of focus as part of the HHR Action Plan work include Philippines recruitment, rural and remote stabilization, First Nations and Métis Recruitment and Retention, expansion of training seats, physician resourcing and the establishment of the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency on May 23, 2023. 

The SHA is committed to strengthening mental health and addictions services for those who need support, working to add an additional 150 addictions treatment spaces. The provincial work on Health Networks is underway which aims to advance the implementation and evolution of these networks in a standardized way while allowing networks to evolve at their own pace and using their own data. The SHA continues to champion a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing services and bringing stability to rural and remote sites across the province including highlights such as the successful initiation of the virtual care emergency room physician pilot in Porcupine Plain and Oxbow this past summer, recruitment of paramedics into newly established positions as part of ground ambulance stabilization work, and the Pont-of-Care Testing pilot program established in Maple Creek and Leader. There are currently 24 active major capital projects underway in partnership with the Ministry of SaskBuilds & Procurement and the Ministry of Health. These projects include large acute facilities, such as Prince Albert Victoria Hospital replacement, long-term care facilities, such as Grenfell Long-Term Care, large infrastructure projects, such as the Regina Electrical Infrastructure Renewal Project, and Urgent Care Centres located in Regina and another in Saskatoon. A sincere thank you to all of the dedicated staff that are working hard to enhance our services for residents in Saskatchewan.

Chief Medical Officer’s report:  Priority work on the Health Human Resources Plan and Physician Recruitment

Throughout Quarter 1 and Quarter 2, the office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), in support of progressing Health Human Resources (HHR) strategies, has largely focused on progressing physician HHR strategies through the stabilization of physician services. This includes supporting the newly enhanced Rural Physician Incentive Program (RPIP), the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) Program, and focused work on understanding the current state of physician HHR and the recruitment of Anesthesiologists and Psychiatrists to the province of Saskatchewan. Operational work supporting our teams, physicians, and physician leaders also continues including a redesign of the SHA Practitioner Staff Affairs (PSA) portfolio, the recruitment of Dr. Jordan Wingate as an additional Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), and strengthening our relationship with the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA).

The Government of Saskatchewan recently introduced Physician Assistants (PAs) as a new regulated healthcare professional designation within the province. The SHA is working closely with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to support the successful introduction of PAs to the province including developing job descriptions and recommended amendments to the Interim Practitioner Staff Bylaws to include PAs as members of the SHA Practitioner Staff. Additional focus has been on further supporting the recruitment and retention of Anesthesiologists and Psychiatrists to stabilize and enhance access to these specialty services in the province. The SHA in partnership with the MoH has developed a new highly competitive package offered to physicians establishing practice for Anesthesia in rural and urban sites, and Psychiatry in rural sites.

Other Items of Note

  • Review of Committee Terms of Reference: The Saskatchewan Health Authority Governance Charter outlines that annually, the Board reviews and evaluates its Committees’ Terms of Reference. Board Committee Terms of Reference are developed from the Initial General Bylaws (November 2017) and define the purpose, membership, authority, accountability, function and commitment of a committee. The Board endorsed the Audit, Finance & Risk Committee (AFRC) Terms of Reference, Quality & Safety Committee (QSC) Terms of Reference, Governance & Human Resources Committee (GHRC) Terms of Reference, CEO Recruitment & Succession Committee and Board Practitioner Hearing Committee Terms of Reference.
  • Revision to Head Designation: The Saskatchewan Health Authority Board, pursuant to section 2e of The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, endorsed the designation that the individual occupying the position of Vice President – Quality, Safety and Chief Information Officer, be the head of the local authority. This was an identified need to enact as the previously designated role of head was assigned to a role that no longer exists after the ELT-level restructuring which occurred earlier this year.  The Vice President – Quality, Safety and Chief Information Officer is the Executive Leadership Team member who is responsible for Privacy and Health Information Management Services.