‘Chaos’: Hundreds of health workers call Code Blue in bid to resuscitate dysfunctional ER

Hundreds of health workers at Royal University Hospital are sounding the alarm over overcrowded emergency rooms.

A Saskatchewan nurse, joined by hundreds of healthcare workers, is urging the province to take action on overcrowding and hallway care at Royal University Hospital’s (RUH) emergency department.

Registered nurse Sara Peters recently wrote to the minister of health detailing the ER’s challenges and proposing solutions. The letter was signed by 450 hospital staff.

“We felt we needed to pause and reflect on the state of health care in Saskatchewan, and it’s heavily reflected in what goes on in the emergency department,” Peters told CTV News.

She said the government’s current approach isn’t achieving the results healthcare workers had hoped for.

“The current direction and mandates and incentives that the government is doing is just not being as effective as we hoped it’d be,” she said.

Premier Scott Moe said he appreciates the concerns raised and that the province is taking steps to relieve pressure in hospitals.

“I thank them for using their voice and raising these important issues,” he told reporters.

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“This very much parallels, largely, with what we’ve heard from Saskatchewan people over the past year.”

Moe pointed to the planned urgent care centres in Saskatoon, 109 new acute care beds at City Hospital and new virtual care options as part of those efforts.

Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said the government’s focus remains on recruiting and retaining health-care staff.

“What’s going to help most is making sure that the incredible doctors and nurses and other staff across our system have more people on their team,” Cockrill said.

The Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) said the province should listen to the solutions outlined in the letter.

“Kudos to the courage to speak up and we’re hoping to continue that conversation and make sure there is a response with actual actions attached to it,” SUN President Bryce Boynton told CTV News.

Peters said some of the suggested changes could be implemented immediately and that health workers need action now.

“A lot of the things they’re doing are future planning, but we’re in a state of chaos right now,” she said.

She hopes the letter helps spark meaningful change.

“We want to create change, and it’s very much aligned with the government’s mandate,” she said. “Everyone wants patient care to improve.”