Saskatoon – Saskatoon Health Region today announced the first five of 20 eventual permanent closures of inappropriate spaces in its urban acute care facilities. All 20 spaces will be closed by June 5.

Inappropriate spaces, sometimes called hallway medicine, are areas of the hospital that have been given patient care status despite not having all the permanent fixtures one would find at a permanent bed site. Some examples of these fixtures are a nurse call, phone or TV, lamp, and even privacy curtains. Although safe from a medical perspective, these spaces can be cramped, loud and lack in privacy.

"The use of inappropriate spaces will soon be a thing of the past for our Region," says Nilesh Kavia, Saskatoon Health Region Vice President and one of the team leads for 90 Days of Innovation working to improve patient flow. "This is the right thing to do for our patients and now we have the strategies in place to do it."

Once a space is closed, it is removed both physically and virtually so no one else can be placed in the space. Once the space is confirmed to be closed and removed from the booking software, staff are removing and repurposing any furniture or equipment that may remain in the space.

"We know that by understanding demand and being able to predict it, by providing smoother transition for our patients through their care journey, and by working with our community partners to reduce the need for acute care, that we have the right number of permanent beds," says Kavia." The next month will be very exciting as a lot of initiatives get off the ground and make a direct impact on capacity."

Some of the 90 Days of Innovation initiatives already underway include community paramedicine at four long-term care homes, additional supports at the Lighthouse to reduce emergency room visits, repatriation work to improve transfers for patients to their home hospitals, and many more.

For more information on 90 Days of Innovation: Ready Every Day, please visit saskatoonhealthregion.ca/ReadyEveryDay or follow the Region on Facebook or Twitter.

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