SUNstoppable Spotlight

Registered Nurses Achieve Success through Independent Assessment Committee

The RN staff from Local 257 Saskatoon District Public Health and Other Community Nurses – STBBI Services and Resources (SSAR) and SUN Provincial have successfully escalated 44 Work Situation Reports (WSRs), and 19 subsequent WSRs.

Since 2021, a pattern of workload and professional practice concerns have been documented on WSRs without achieving collaborative problem-solving or resolution with the Joint Nursing Advisory Committee, Unit Leadership, or through escalation to the SHA Board of Directors. Following the SHA Board of Directors presentation, Unit Leadership initiated some interventions but could not create a sustained workload improvement, necessitating further escalation.

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

The IAC Panel of three RN experts unanimously confirmed the concerns brought forward by SUN members when they stated:     

Continuing to function in this difficult situation not only takes a toll on the RNs, ancillary staff and leadership, the SSAR program fails to meet provincial mandates for communicable disease control (Saskatchewan Public Health Act, 1994) and negates several professional requirements set forth by the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan (CRNS) (2025, p. 2).

The IAC Panel identified 3 primary themes in their written decision:

  1. Inadequate RN staffing and increasingly complex RN workload;

  2. Lack of mentorship and support to promote recruitment and retention; and,

  3. Environment and operational challenges.

Binding recommendations have been confirmed between SHA Leadership, SUN Provincial, and Local 257 and are inclusive of:

  • A:  Staffing: Additional RN and NP staffing to maintain baseline staffing levels to address workload, and to be timely with each aspect of client care to satisfy both professional and legislative requirements.

    • Surveillance:

      • 10 FTE RN-B including relief

    • Clinic:

      • 1.25 FTE NP including relief

      • 1.25 FTERN-B including relief

    • Outreach:

      • 3.75 RN-Bs for outreach including relief

    • Leadership:

      • 1 FTE Nursing Supervisor (RN-C)

      • Fill vacant Nurse Clinician (RN-B)

  • B:  Operations

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      Implement surveillance staffing model based on 4.5 hrs. per new STBBI case for 1 calendar year. Based on those findings, adjust RN surveillance staffing accordingly.

    • Develop metrics to review average length of time needed for RNs to manage all aspects of ‘new cases’ and adjust staffing, as required.

    • Extend hours of operation in the surveillance circle to include days and evenings (M-F) and Saturday (day shift only). Increasing the time surveillance is operational will assist in contacting clients (more clients may be reachable in the evening or on the weekends) and help to make more efficient use of the current office space.

    • Re-evaluate the extended surveillance hours after 1 year.

  • Management of Staffing and Casual RN Pool:

    • Offer vacant shifts in advance to casual RNs to encourage regular and planned coverage.

    • Ensure adequate casual coverage is available for short call relief.

  • C:  Mentoring, Recruitment and Retention of RN Staff

    • Dedicate the nurse supervisor position to focus on coordination and supervision only, in order that this role is fully developed and available as a staff resource.

    • The nurse clinician should be the lead for all mentorship activities and act as a resource expert.

    • Nurse clinician to facilitate and deliver new staff orientation/support as well as provide ongoing education for current staff.

    • Under the guidance of the nurse clinician, a consistent mentor should be assigned for all new RN hires for the entire orientation period to promote consistency.

 

Further support for the SSAR RNs was received in the written decision when it was stated:

Overwhelmingly, the IAC believes RN staffing deficits and the complex nature of the work to be the primary concern identified by SSAR. The associated themes of environment and operational challenges and the lack of nurse mentorship to promote retention and recruitment, stem directly from inadequate RN staffing and complex, endless workloads (2025, p. 2).

 

To learn more about WSRs, the Nursing Advisory Process, and the Joint Nursing Advisory Committee, you can review the SUN website's WSR/NAC Learning Modules & Resources and NAC Leadership.