Provincial auditor Judy Ferguson (centre) delivers her 2019 report on Dec. 5, 2019. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)

By CJME News

High Risk

Auditor calls for action to combat suicides in northwest Sask.

Dec 5, 2019 | 12:28 PM

Saskatchewan’s auditor has laid out a number of areas she believes the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has to improve to address the risk of suicide in northwest Saskatchewan.

In her 2019 report, which was released Thursday, Judy Ferguson said the average suicide rate in northwest Saskatchewan in 2018 exceeded the provincial average rate by almost 50 per cent.

That area recorded 27.9 suicides per 100,000 people in 2018. The rest of the province had a rate of 18.7 suicides per 100,000 people.

The issue came to the forefront again recently after a number of suicides on the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, as well as other First Nations in the province.

Ferguson noted the SHA uses the Saskatchewan Suicide Framework in its efforts to prevent suicides. But she pointed out that emergency department staff in the northwest area of the province don’t always follow the protocols.

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“For three instances in 23 files tested, emergency department staff did not provide psychiatric consultation for patients with high suicide risk prior to their discharge, as per protocol,” read a media release issued with Ferguson’s report.

“In addition, the Authority’s follow-up protocols for patients accessing mental health services through an emergency department differ from those accessing outpatient services — emergency department staff do not refer patients to mental health outpatient services for follow-up.”

Ferguson’s report also said:

Health care staff in facilities in northwest Saskatchewan don’t get sufficient training to care for suicidal patients, and training varies significantly.

• The SHA do enough inspections of facilities in northwest Saskatchewan to check for staff sightline obstructions or physical structures potentially used in attempting suicide;
• The SHA hasn’t determined why patients regularly don’t use psychiatric services provided through videoconferencing — an issue because some patients from smaller centres in the northwest have to travel great distances to get mental health services in larger centres;
• The SHA performed “limited analysis” of key data about suicide rates and suicide attempts to see if services for suicidal patients sufficiently met patient demand and accessibility;
• Risk-based file audits for patients at risk of suicide should be conducted; and,
• A single, provincially accessible electronic health file for mental health, addictions and suicidal patients should be created.

Greater controls for Wascana Centre development

Ferguson’s report also called on the Provincial Capital Commission (PCC) to “improve its approval processes for major developments in Wascana Centre, and to increase transparency.”

The auditor said the commission needs to do a better job of consulting with the public about projects that are planned for Regina’s Wascana Centre.

“While the Commission appropriately shared details about its review and approval procedures with two recent, major development projects’ proponents, it neither gives the public sufficiently understandable information about these procedures nor provides clear information about each project’s status,” the auditor said.

Two major projects — a building housing Conexus Credit Union’s headquarters and one that is to be home to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind — are to be constructed in Wascana Centre.

Ferguson stated the PCC needs to produce “written, public consultation expectations and procedures” for developers to understand what’s required of them. Those documents also would allow citizens to know the PCC is committed to getting public input.

The auditor also said the PCC’s approval process of the two projects was flawed because they didn’t align with the committee’s master plan.

“Clearly documenting in its Board minutes how major developments conform to the Master Plan as required by The Provincial Capital Commission Act is essential to demonstrating compliance,” Ferguson wrote.