Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Scott Livingstone said over a phone-in conference for media two weeks ago he’s pleased with the 2017-18 provincial budget and “the numbers are moving in the right direction.”
According to the budget document, total spending for health in 2018-19 is projected to be $5.77 billion, an increase of $138 million or 2.5 per cent over last year’s budget.
A government press release stated “over five per cent of Saskatchewan’s 2018-19 health budget ($284 million) is spent on mental health services and supports,” with the goal being to increase the investment to seven per cent in future years.
The budget provides $3.5 billion to the Saskatchewan Health Authority base operating funding and targeted programs and services. This is an increase of $71.87 million, or 2.1 per cent, from 2017-18.
Livingstone said he’s glad the government considered the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s major organizational change from regional health authorities to a provincial health authority when planning the budget.
“This is a budget where we were looking for government to recognize the challenge of transformation, and to give us some breathing space as we did that,” Livingstone said.
“Not only did we get some breathing space but we got some new investments in areas of pressure and targeted funding for some of the significant pressures we’re facing.”
The next steps in the process toward SHA’s first budget is planning (which has been underway) and approving one.
Livingstone said the timing of this year’s health budget will be similar to those when the province had health regions. A budget should be approved in late May.
Livingstone said the SHA played an active role with government and there was much pre-budget planning and discussion with the Ministry of Health and other government officials.
Specific budgetary information is often available to the public in annual reports, which both private and public organizations write, including the former Prairie North Health Region.
But since the SHA was created less than six months ago, it doesn’t have an annual report.
According to the province’s 2018-19 budget document, health care takes up 39 per cent of the government’s expenses.
Livingstone said $31.5 million is automatically added to the SHA’s base funding, while $40.5 million is targeted funding directed to mental health, primary health care, connected care and other investments in HIV drug funding and others.
Advantages of the new system, Livingstone said, include avoiding “12 ways of doing business.”
Rather than variation across regions, which Livingstone said can create confusion among staff and patients, the health authority can achieve economies of scale regarding things such as buying supplies. Also, implementing innovative methods developed throughout the province regarding care or administration, is easier.
The SHA estimated last year savings from the amalgamation would be between $10-20 million.Livingstone said savings achieved by reducing leadership positions from 12 boards to one come to approximately $9 million, while eHealth is responsible for reducing what is planned to also be approximately $9 million in information technology.
Livingstone said the orga currently has 82 disparate IT systems to perform a number of tasks including staff scheduling, payroll and human resources.
Livingstone said bringing IT systems “into one picture” gives the SHA “an opportunity to better manage.
“Right now [having 82 disparate systems] is one of our challenges, but it’s certainly an opportunity in the future to be able to actually use that information to better manage staff.”
Livingstone said the SHA is the single biggest employer in Saskatchewan’s history.
More than 70 per cent of the SHA’s total budget, Livingstone said, pertains to wages and benefits of staff that work inside the organization, which the 2.1 per cent increase addresses, to some extent.
“In historical budgets, a big component of that inflational pressure has been the cost of collective agreements and right now, one of the things that you’re not seeing from the SHA’s perspective, and it’s just serendipitous, it’s not a planned thing, but we have five open collective agreements.
“So what you don’t see in our budget this year is increases for collective agreement costs because all our collective agreement are currently open.”
