Feb 15, 2023
A made-in-Saskatchewan approach to improving patient flow in health care is starting to attract interest elsewhere in Canada and abroad. The Connected Care Strategy is improving care for Saskatchewan patients through better teamwork in hospital and the community, and better transitions between these care settings. It has emerged from the work of the provincial Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow Initiative, which is housed at the Health Quality Council.
Graham Fast and Sheila Anderson were invited to present on Connected Care at the Canadian Home Care Association’s 2017 Home Care Summit in Halifax. Fast is Lead of the provincial Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow Initiative; Anderson is Executive Transition Lead, Primary Health Care, Regina Area of the Saskatchewan Health Authority. Fast and his team have also been contacted by health system leaders in Ireland, to learn more about Saskatchewan’s approach.
“It’s great to see the innovative approach developed by the Health Quality Council and our health system partners getting national and international recognition. We’re proud of the cross-functional, cross-organizational approach we’ve taken, using health system modelling to create an evidence-based strategy that is tailored to our Saskatchewan context.” (Graham Fast, Lead of Emergency Department Waits and Patient Flow Initiative)
Anderson says linking the improvements happening in many locations under a single, provincial strategy is powerful. “This is exciting work that that will make a real difference for patients, families, and communities,” says Anderson. “The focus on teams and transitions will enable us to work together to connect care across the province, breaking down traditional boundaries and silos.”
Please direct your inquiries to this work to the Strategy and Innovation office or the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s contact us page
