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A new system will connect 9-1-1 callers who report non-urgent symptoms directly to a team of specially trained nurses.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority said the Emergency Communication Nurse System will allow callers in Saskatoon and Regina to receive assessments from the registered nurses, who will then determine if the patient needs to go to an emergency department or if an alternate health-care setting would better suit their needs.
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The triage system is designed to improve emergency responses and provide patients with alternatives.
Over time, the health authority said, the system should help relieve pressures on emergency departments, some of which are struggling with a high volume of patients and a lack of staff. The system is also intended to help improve paramedic response times by prioritizing those patients who require urgent care.
The new system launched on Wednesday in Regina and is set to launch in Saskatoon during the last week of October.
Jeremy Cockrill, Saskatchewan’s health minister, said the changes will put patients first and ensure they get quick and effective care, while opening up more capacity for paramedics to respond to emergencies.
“This new system will help to reduce capacity pressure on emergency departments while also ensuring non-urgent patients are safely connected to the care they need when they need it,” Rod MacKenzie, an executive director for community care with the health authority, said in a statement.
“The Emergency Communication Nurse System will support better outcomes for patients who require emergency care while ensuring patients with less urgent needs receive more appropriate treatment in alternate settings.”
The provincial government provided $405,000 in one-time funding to establish the nursing communication system in Regina and Saskatoon, along with $975,000 in annual operating funding.
In Regina, the team of registered nurses will be employed directly by the health authority, while in Saskatoon, they will be employed by Medavie Health Services West, under a health authority contract.
“Medavie Health Services West is proud to be part of this important initiative to improve access to care for residents of Saskatoon,” said Angela Sereda, Medavie’s senior operations manager, quoted in a health authority statement.
“By integrating emergency communication nurses into the 911 system, we can better connect patients with the right level of care, ease pressure on our emergency departments, and allow our paramedics to focus on the most urgent emergencies.
“This is a significant step forward in building a more responsive patient-centred healthcare system across our community.”
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