By Canadian Press

Some staff not trained enough to help suicidal patients: Saskatchewan auditor

Dec 5, 2019 | 9:51 AM

REGINA — The provincial auditor says the Saskatchewan Health Authority isn’t giving enough training to staff working with suicidal patients in some parts of the province  

Judy Ferguson’s latest report focuses on how patients at risk of suicide in communities including North Battleford, Meadow Lake and La Loche are treated at area health facilities.

She says for the last three years the rate of suicide in those areas has been higher than the provincial rate.

The auditor’s report says those at risk of suicide typically go to emergency rooms or use mental-health outpatient supports, but staff don’t always properly screen or assess them.

Ferguson found some emergency department staff didn’t always seek psychiatric consultation for patients showing a high risk for suicide.

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She concludes staff are not receiving adequate training and recommends the health authority offer it on an ongoing basis.

The report comes as Indigenous leaders in Saskatchewan call for more long-term solutions to deal with what one chief has said is a suicide crisis.

Ronald Mitsuing of the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation at Loon Lake, about 360 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon, met with provincial ministers recently after three people died by suicide, including a 10-year-old girl, and eight people attempted to take their own lives in the span of several weeks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2019.

The Canadian Press