HEALTH PARTNERS BOOST EFFORTS TO REDUCE WAIT TIMES

The latest statistics show that 90 per cent of Saskatchewan surgical patients continue to receive surgery within six months and 78 per cent receive surgery within three months. However, with little improvement in surgery wait times over the past few months, surgical teams, health regions and others are renewing their efforts to reduce surgery wait times and improve safety.

"There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to make surgeries safer and get people in for surgeries sooner," Health Minister Dustin Duncan said. "Surgical teams, health regions and other partners are focused on achieving shorter wait times and ensuring surgical patients have a better experience."

The number of people waiting more than six months for surgery was 10,634 in November 2007. That number fell 58 per cent to 4,516 on October 31, 2012.

The number of surgeries performed so far in the 2012-13 year is slightly higher than during the same period last year. Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, behind on its targeted wait times and surgical volumes, is improving surgical service by training and hiring more operating room nurses, contracting for day surgeries with third-party surgery providers, targeting long orthopedic waits and other efforts. Saskatoon Health Region is taking steps to increase surgical volumes and focus on patients with long waits after also falling behind on its targets.

Some Saskatchewan projects contributing to surgery improvements include:

• An online specialist directory to empower patients, in consultation with their primary health care provider, to make informed choices about referrals to specialists;
• Adoption of the surgical safety checklist before surgeries;
• The use of pooled referrals to route patients to the next available specialist appropriate for their condition;
• 18-bed inpatient surgical ward added at St. Paul's Hospital (Saskatoon);
• New patient-flow software introduced in Regina and Saskatoon to help move patients through the health system better and faster;
• Breast Health Centre expansion at Saskatoon City Hospital to allow faster, less invasive procedures for breast biopsies; and
• Assessment centres for early diagnosis of serious hip and knee problems and back problems.

Through the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative, specialists, operating room teams, health regions, patient advisors, health provider organizations and administrators are collaborating to improve safety and quality, with the target of all Saskatchewan patients receiving surgery within three months by April 2014. This year's target is all surgeries within six months by April 2013.

More information about the Surgical Initiative can be found at www.health.gov.sk.ca/surgical-initiative. Wait time data and other information for patients is available at www.sasksurgery.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4088