nurse helping a senior man in a wheelchair

Expanding Access to Care

What We've Done

Making it easier to access care

Putting patients first means opening more doors for patients to access care. To do this, we're creating new care teams, adding new capacity and expanding the role of nurse practitioners. 

Introduced Expanded Role for Nurse Practitioners

New nurse practitioner funding model introduced, allowing publicly funded primary care to be delivered through independent nurse practitioner contracts, an approach not previously available at scale.

Expanded Team-Based and Collaborative Care

Ten new team‑based primary care teams are under development with five already operating, improving coordinated, multi‑provider support, especially in rural and underserved areas like Kamsack, Wadena and Esterhazy.

Increased Hospital and ICU Capacity

Since 2021 we have opened and staffed 201 acute care beds across the province.

Increased Diagnostics Capacity

Increased annual capacity by 55,000+ CT scans and 15,000 MRI scans since 2020‑21 (approximately 205,000 scans performed per year).

Increased EMS Capacity

107 ambulance services operating in 109 communities, providing province-wide emergency coverage.

Increased Surgical Capacity

Established a robot‑assisted surgery program with four systems operating in Saskatoon and Regina.

Increased pilot expansion from 6 to 30 NP contracts due to overwhelmingly positive response.

  • 23 new nurse practitioner contracts signed within the first six months, serving communities across Saskatchewan, from Prince Albert to Carnduff and Wilkie to Arcola.
  • Target of 800 patients per nurse practitioner within two years, giving more than 18,000 people access to a dedicated primary care provider, including many without previous attachment.
  • Improved access to timely, relationship‑based care, reducing reliance on emergency rooms and supporting patients with routine and complex needs.

28 physician‑led clinics funded to operate under collaborative, team‑based models through a new $10 million annual Physician Innovation Fund.

This includes:

  • 155 acute care beds across Saskatoon Hospitals, 69 of these are under construction or being staffed
  • 44 acute care beds in Regina Hospitals, one critical care bed added to each Yorkton Regional Health Centre and Prince Albert Victoria Hospital
  • Expanded ICU capacity with four beds

Expanded PET/CT capacity by 1,300 patients annually.

  • Launched a mobile MRI unit in Regina and a portable pediatric MRI at Jim Pattison Children's Hospital.
  • Opened a new Regina Breast Health Centre in 2025 - by the end of the year the centre had received 1,400 referrals. 
  • Screening mammograms have increased nearly 30 per cent since 2020‑21.
  • Lowered breast cancer screening age, giving 76,000 more women access by 2026.

Since 2022-23, the government has expanded the emergency response workforce by 200 full-time equivalent positions in 68 communities to stabilize and support services in rural and northern communities.

  • Invested in modernized technology, such as new computer-aided dispatch systems, and enhanced 911 intake to allow nurses to triage calls and refer low acuity patients to more appropriate community-based care, reducing demand on emergency rooms.

Performed 438 robot‑assisted surgeries in Saskatoon and 58 in Regina in the past year.

  • Private surgical partners completed approximately 17,000 publicly funded surgeries, accounting for 18 per cent of provincial procedures annually.
  • Saskatchewan performed 100,000+ surgeries last year, a 30 per cent increase since 2020.
  • 20+ new anesthesiologists added to expand surgical capacity.
  • Became the first western province to offer Interventional Tricupsid. 

 

Next Steps

What We're Working On

No limit to the number of contracts for nurse practitioners interested in delivering publicly funded primary care.

Pilot team‑based models that allow nurse practitioners to hire registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, dietitians, occupational therapists, and other allied health staff.

Grow the NP pipeline by adding 26 more training seats in Saskatchewan - increasing training capacity by 45 per cent.

  • 13 seats at the University of Saskatchewan
  • 13 seats at the combined University of Regina-Saskatchewan Polytechnic program

Increase nurse practitioner positions in emergency rooms and urgent care centres to reduce wait times and improve patient flow.

Incentivize registered nurses to pursue nurse practitioner education to expand the future workforce.

  • Government will provide $78,000 over two years for registered nurses to pursue their nurse practitioner training with a return for service contract.

Give nurse practitioners the same opportunities as physicians to provide care for long‑term care residents, supporting timely and consistent care for seniors.

  • Complete renovations and staffing for 69 more beds at Saskatoon City Hospital.
  • Staff and open 24 more acute care beds and four ICU beds at St. Paul’s Hospital.
  • Staff and open six pediatric beds at Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital.
  • Staff and open 36 acute care beds at Royal University Hospital.
  • Expand ICU capacity by seven beds at Royal University Hospital.
  • Staff and open three additional NICU beds at Regina General Hospital.
  • Complete construction on the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital adding 57 acute care beds to the community.

  • Modernize laboratory medicine using new technologies to shorten turnaround times while increasing the number of lab tests that can be performed in the province.
  • Continue expanding MRI, CT and PET-CT capacity through further volume increases.
  • Add new capacity through expansion such as the Estevan MRI.
  • Work towards 2028 target; 90 per cent of patients receive diagnostic scans within 60 days.

  • Perform 450,000 surgeries over four years and reduce wait times to a 90-day target.
  • Expand the scope of publicly funded surgeries that can be performed through provincial partnerships with private surgical providers.
  • Intensify recruitment for anesthesia professionals to increase surgical volumes.
  • Launch an improved online surgical specialist directory.
  • Expand pathways that focus on early treatment and stabilization to give patients more care options and reduce the need for surgery.
  • Expand pooled referral systems province‑wide to reduce wait times and improve
    co-ordination, increase efficiencies through centralized surgical scheduling, and better prepare patients for their surgical experience.

Additional investment to strengthen emergency response capacity, continued bursaries, and mental health supports.

 

Why This Matters

Improving Outcomes

  • More qualified providers delivering care means shorter waits for appointments, assessments and follow-up.
  • Patients spend less time searching for care and more time receiving it.

Uses our full spectrum of health professionals to deliver primary care across the province.

Services are available closer to home with less travel for routine or urgent care.

More acute care beds reduce admission delays and improve patient flow.

Robot-assisted surgery, community partnerships and specialist recruitment decrease backlogs and accelerate recovery times.

Expanded ICU capacity ensures timely, life-saving care.

Modern imaging and laboratory upgrades speed clinical decisions and enable earlier treatment.

New cardiac procedures and advanced imaging reduce the need for out-of-province travel.

Delivered by nurse practitioners with enhanced roles in long-term care.

Provided through coordinated, team-based care.

  • With more professionals providing primary and urgent care, patients get the right care earlier, helping to stabilize emergency rooms.
  • More inpatient beds and care coordination reduce emergency room congestion and improve patient flow.

Helping families receive ongoing support from a dedicated provider.

Patients have more options and access points.

Team-based and relationship-focused models strengthen continuity, improve patient flow and enhance long termhealth outcomes.

Driven by expanded training, improved career pathways and reduced reliance on temporary staffing.

A strong paramedic workforce ensures timely care across the province.