The Jim Pattison Children's Hospital in Saskatoon. (supplied/The Jim Pattison Children's Hospital Foundation)

By CKOM News

PATIENT SAFETY

Health authority looking into concerns raised by psychiatrists about children’s hospital

Sep 12, 2019 | 3:37 PM

At the eleventh hour, a group of psychiatrists has raised several concerns about the design of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital (JPCH) regarding patients struggling with mental health.

The grand opening of the hospital was on Sept. 5 and it’s scheduled to begin taking patients Sept. 29.

A report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Saskatchewan, the psychiatrists toured the hospital last week and flagged more than a dozen safety concerns they said need to be addressed to help prevent children from attempting suicide.

Those included poor sightlines from nursing stations, sliding doors at the room entrances that were built with the tracks on the inside of the room rather than the outside, which could allow patients to harm themselves, and unsecured medical supplies.

They identified the upper-floor outdoor playground as having glass railings they said are too low. As well, they said easily opened fire exit doors, unlocked cabinets containing rubber tubing and long bandages are cause for concern.

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In a statement, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said takes the concerns raised by the psychiatrists very seriously. It said some issues raised have already been identified through tours and simulation processes and are being addressed.

The authority said while it continues to work with psychiatrists to address the red flags, both psychiatry and mental health professionals were involved at the design level.

‘Communication gaps’

Tom Sparrow is the chief project officer for PMP Services and has oversaw the construction of a number of hospitals in British Columbia.

He wasn’t involved in the JPCH design and construction but said it appears there were some communication breakdowns.

“It looks like there were some key communication gaps and possibly some of the individuals we would have hoped to see be part of that consultation process, maybe they were not involved,” Sparrow said.

Sparrow said he doesn’t doubt the design team for the children’s hospital had all the proper stakeholders involved from the start, but it’s clear by the psychiatrists’ reaction that something fell through the cracks.

When building a major project like a hospital, Sparrow said it is important to have everyone from clinicians to families involved in the process.

“We allow the healthcare folks, the clinicians, the physicians, public patient advisory folks, patients, family members, we try to get as many folks into these rooms so they can point out any potential issues or concerns that might have been missed through that design and development process,” he added.

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