When the topic of patient safety and risk management arises, the Sun Country Health Region has the incident reports and statistics to back up claims that they are making significant progress in the reduction of such things as falls, medication errors and critical incidents.
That is an accomplishment within a region that serves nearly 60,000 residents with 2,300 employees.
The Sun Country's board of directors received a first-hand report from Felecia Watson, spokeswoman for the patient safety and risk management sector on Jan. 30 during their regular monthly business session.
Watson spent some time discussing key infection control practices and keeping tabs on medications through reconciliation reports. She said there is a large educational factor going into each quarterly report as well.
When patient safety is compromised, the reports are noted and if they require response and action plans, they are incorporated before they are filed for statistical purposes.
Safety and risk management activities are coded from one to four with four being the most serious in terms of a tragic incident and potential litigation issues.
Sun Country CEO Marga Cugnet informed the board that the quarterly reports from each region are shared across the province.
Watson said that in Sun Country there are seven open claims pending as far as the risk management department is concerned. Three of those involved legal action.
Watson said that staff quality improvement reports become an integral part of the reporting process too.
In future reports, she said the numbers of clients and patients waiting for long-term care placement will be included.
The outline handed to the directors included statistics dating back to 2010, indicating very few critical incidents (no more than two per quarter), and more serious code reports at between two and four per cent. None were at Code 4 on the scale.
Medication errors numbered anywhere from 58 to 142 per quarter while patient/client falls were between 301 and 477 per quarter.
During the early part of the meeting, board chairwoman Marilyn Charlton introduced John Knoch the health region's new chief financial officer, who shared the finance and management report with outgoing CFO Pam Haupstein who will now be resuming her previous duties in the finance department of the health region.
Cugnet reported that four medical students are currently working in the region as part of their educational requirements.
The board also accepted the resignation of director Vern Palmer, who it was noted, has moved out of the region to another part of the province.
Knoch told the board that the three major capital projects currently underway are moving along as expected with one of them, the long-term care facility in Redvers nearing the completion date. He said the construction phase is now 80 per cent completed and the facility should be ready to accept residents in the spring. Radville's long-term care and health-care facility is between 40 and 50 per cent completed and could be ready for occupancy by late summer. It has been held up due to shortages of skilled trades people.
The Kipling hospital project is now at the design presentation stage, Knoch said. Three designs have been selected for further scrutiny and a decision regarding the winning concept will be made in March. That will be followed by an evaluation and selection of contractors and vendors for the construction work which should begin this coming spring.
The board also acknowledged and set the stage for upcoming meetings with the board of directors of St. Joseph's Hospital, an affiliated facility within the region, and with representatives of the Saskatchewan Association of Registered Nurses.
The board is scheduled to meet again on Feb. 27 in the Conference Room at their central office at Tatagwa View in Weyburn.
