Saskatoon Long-Term Care - Community Capacity

1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to identify potential qualified vendors for the provision of long-term care services for residents in Saskatoon and surrounding area up to 50 kilometers that can commence services by February 14, 2024.
2. BACKGROUND
Saskatoon Hospitals are in a chronic state of overcapacity. The contributor to this overcapacity is the number of patients waiting in acute care hospitals for long-term care assessment and placement. These individuals are considered Alternative Level of Care (“ALC”) patients as they no longer require the level of care provided in an acute care hospital, but are unable to move back to their home or prior residence. They now require 24/7 care and accommodations.
In addition to patients waiting in acute care for the above services, there are also a number of individuals waiting in the community for these supports, including those who are from outside of Saskatoon and would like to move into a long-term care home within the Saskatoon area. This backlog in the community further adds pressure on acute care hospitals as the health of individuals unable to access care in the community deteriorate resulting in them having to access hospital based care and services, further compounding hospital overcapacity.

Additional Information

3. CURRENT STATE
Acute Care hospitals in Saskatoon face chronic overcapacity resulting in EMS offload delays and emergency department overcrowding, delays in care and reducing access to provincial tertiary services. A significant contributor to hospital overcrowding is patients no longer requiring the level of care provided in an acute care hospital or other community based services and living arrangements. Reducing acute care occupancy will improve workload of health care staff and physicians, increasing the time and attention each patient will receive resulting in better care and decreased length of stay.
Currently there are 1610 LTC beds available in Saskatoon with those services provided by 15 Affiliate and Designated Health Care Organizations, and 2 Saskatchewan Health Authority (“SHA”) owned and operated sites. Previous Saskatoon LTC bed projections conducted had identified year over year demand increases for LTC residents. At this time the volume of LTC capacity does not meet demand. As a result, the SHA is seeking short-term additional LTC capacity for residents in the Saskatoon and surrounding area.
Enhancing community capacity in Saskatoon will contribute to reducing emergency department backlogs and hospital overcrowding. Investments in the following community services will reduce the utilization of expensive acute care beds and contribute to an improved care environment for all patients and support individuals to live in the community where they desire.
Target Populations
Adults who are no longer able to live independently in the community and require 24/7 personal and/or nursing care. Refer to Appendix A for details.
Individuals must be assessed, approved for and offered long-term care in accordance with SHA’s placement processes. An assessor coordinator will work with the individual and their family to:
• Assess car