'Gong show': Emergency patients overflow into ambulatory unit at St. Paul's Hospital

The emergency department at St. Paul's Hospital is so full its turning to the ambulatory unit.

The ambulatory care unit is designed for patients needing same-day, minor procedures. It's now taken over by emergency patients.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said it's a temporary solution to the hospital's surge in patients.

"It's a gong show," Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) President Tracy Zambory told CTV News.

"It's a huge capacity issue. We're taking over ambulatory care. And what happens to people in ambulatory care?"

Zambory said "pushing people" to different departments doesn't make "any sense."

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The SHA said St. Paul's Hospital is operating at 115 per cent capacity.

"So that's quite full," John Ash, SHA vice-president of integrated Saskatoon health, said.

On Tuesday, the decision was made to use its 14 ambulatory care beds for emergency patients.

The SHA said the unit has been consistently full since then.

It's not abnormal to use the ambulatory care unit for emergency patients, according to Ash.

"What's unique about the situation this week is we made a proactive decision to move out or find alternate locations for ambulatory care," Ash said.

The SHA said ambulatory care patients are still being served, just in different spots in the hospital.

"We worked with the physicians to identify what is an appropriate alternate location. So in some cases, they've gone back to the physicians' offices," Ash told CTV News.

The SHA said the ambulatory care unit will go back to normal on Thursday.

SUN is calling for a permanent fix to St. Paul's capacity issues — something the SHA said it's working on.

"We are actively working on more permanent solutions that are going to alleviate the pressures that we experience in these surges in demand in our emergency departments," SHA CEO Derek Miller said.