“[A nursing task force] must be more than a consultation. This means actual, dedicated human and financial resources. There must be decision-making ability to implement initiatives.”

 

In a recent media interview about Saskatchewan’s healthcare struggles, I was asked about what success would look like to registered nurses. The above was part of my answer. We are beyond talk; a task force needs to have the necessary authority to get things done.  

 

The dust has settled on our provincial election, our new government has been sworn in, and on Monday, November 25, Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant Governor, Russ Mirasty, delivered a throne speech promising “a new beginning”.  A notable inclusion was the mention of greater nurse engagement and the establishment of a “patient-focused nursing task force”.

 

This can be a good news story, if we get it right. But there isn’t much wiggle room when it comes to time. Registered nurse shortages are worsening, and daily now, patients face increasingly dangerous situations when trying to access care all over the province.

 

Just this past week, I heard from so many members.
 

A St. Paul’s emergency department nurse in Saskatoon wrote:

 

“I fear every shift that I work that some major patient safety event will occur because of the overcrowding on our unit, and it feels like we are screaming into the void, and no one listens or cares.”
 

A rural nurse in southeast Saskatchewan wrote:

 

“Over the weekend emergency services were disrupted/not available at multiple facilities in our area leaving the public having to seek medical services over an hour away…. We do not have access to wound care, social work, palliative care or coordination. Not to mention we have a lack of home care nursing support on weekends.”
 

A registered nurse working in interventional radiology in Regina wrote:

 

“We are cramming 2-3 days’ worth of work into each day to try to continue serving the people of Regina and southern Saskatchewan, working late every day with multiple hours of overtime being accumulated. We are working weekends in CT to catch up on biopsies. Today alone we have 17 cases, without accounting for the urgent inpatient add-ons. This works out to 28 minutes per patient.”
 

What’s terrifying is that this is just the tiniest snapshot of the countless unsafe situations unfolding every day.

 

When I say that time is not on our side, this is what I mean. I am sure many are wondering: “why now?” Registered nurses have been calling for a task force for more than a year.

 

If I were to speculate, I’d wager it has everything to do with registered nurses – all of you, SUN’s members, finding your power and voice. By loudly advocating for your patients and refusing to backdown you have brought Saskatchewan’s nursing crisis and system woes out into the open.

 

You have let patients and families know that you will never be silent when it comes to their safety.

 

The promise of a task force is now finally on the table, but as I have been saying, it needs to have teeth. It cannot just be a consultation.

 

It must be inclusive of all nursing stakeholders from unions, regulatory bodies and education to government and the SHA. It needs established targets and timelines. And it needs the funding and the people to get things done.

 

We did it with the 2008 SUN-Government Partnership. We can do it again.

 

Registered nurses are ready to get to work today. SUN is ready.

 

Finally, to all of you, Saskatchewan’s 11,000 registered nurses, I ask only this: keep using your power, raising your voices, and sharing your stories because each time you do, it moves the needle just a little closer towards solving this nursing crisis.

 

Share your front-line stories with us at YourVoice@sun-nurses.sk.ca