SUNstoppable Spotlight

Registered Nurses Achieve Success through Independent Assessment Committee

SUN Local 107, Saskatoon City Hospital Emergency Department RN staff, and SUN Provincial are pleased to share the successful escalation of 63 Work Situation Reports (WSRs) using the SUN/SAHO collective agreement. These WSRs described patterns of unresolved workload and professional practice concerns

Concerns have been raised since 2018 without resolve at the Nursing Advisory Committee, Executive Oversight Committee, and the SHA Board of Directors levels. 

An Independent Assessment Committee (IAC) is the last resort within the collective agreement to address registered nurse workload concerns.

The IAC Panel, made up of three RN experts, unanimously confirmed the staffing, workload, and overcapacity concerns presented. 

“The current staffing model is not sustainable and makes it increasingly difficult for the nurses in the department to meet the standards they are held accountable for and the policies of the employer (i.e. reassessments after narcotic administration, documentation)” (IAC, 2022, p. 24). 

The IAC Panel provided seven primary recommendations to increase RN staffing, address workload, and provide support staff resources addressing:

  • Patient Flow
  • Staffing for Appropriate Care, and
  • Inability to Consistently Decant ED/Overtime

Binding recommendations have been confirmed between SHA Leadership and SUN. Work continues to implement the increased staffing and workload needs as follows:

  • Increase RN baseline by funding five Permanent FTE positions: 
    • Two RNs: Night Shift (12 hours)
    • One RN Triage Nurse: Day Shift (12 hours)
    • One RN Float Nurse: Day Shift (12 hours)
    • One RN Clinical Coordinator (Nurse B): Day Shift (12 hours)
  • Remove Charge Nurse duties from the RN assigned to the Minor Assessment and Care Area.
    • Charge Nurse assignment is to be supernumerary without patient assignment.

SUN Local 107 and the Local Nursing Advisory Committee will continue to work collaboratively with the employer to create a healthy, quality work environment that is focused on safe, competent, high-quality, and appropriate registered nursing practice and healthcare services.   

To learn more about work situation reports and the nursing advisory process, you can review WSR/NAC Learning Modules & Resources and NAC Leadership on the SUN website.