Surgical Performance and Wait Times
(Posted on August 24, 2023)
Saskatchewan’s surgical system is making progress in ramping up volumes and providing surgeries to patients who need them most. In the fiscal year from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, surgical volume was the highest ever recorded in Saskatchewan for a one-year period.
Data from the first quarter of this fiscal year (April 1 to June 30, 2023) shows that the surgical system is on track to eliminate the COVID-related backlog and return to a pre-pandemic wait list by March 31, 2024.
The province continues to invest in long-term solutions to build Saskatchewan’s health human resources, involve new private sector partners in surgical service delivery, and make efficient use of surgical capacity across the province.
Volumes will continue to grow as the system builds capacity for permanent expansion of the surgical program.
1. Performance Update
This performance update provides surgical data from April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023.
Results as of June 30, 2023 (posted on August 24, 2023)
Between April 1 and June 30, there were 24,874 surgeries performed, with 73.6 per cent of patients receiving their surgery, or an offer of surgery, within three months, 84.5 per cent within six months, and 92.2 per cent within 12 months.
| Access to Surgery - Provincial (April 1 to June 30, 2023) |
|
| Surgeries Performed or Offered Within Three Months | 73.6% |
| Surgeries Performed or Offered Within Six Months | 84.5% |
| Surgeries Performed or Offered Within 12 Months | 92.2% |
| Percentage calculated over the time period. A small number of patients were offered surgery sooner, but opted for a later date. | |
| Number of Patients Waiting (Change Since March 2010) |
|||
| March 31, 2010 | June 30, 2023 | Change Since 2010 | |
| Cases Waiting More Than Three Months | 15,228 | 15,913 | +4.5% |
| Cases Waiting More Than Six Months | 9,817 | 10,845 | +10.5% |
| Cases Waiting More Than 12 Months | 3,973 | 5,313 | +33.7% |
In addition to reporting the wait time from when surgery was booked to when surgery was provided, we also report the wait time from the booking date to the date the patient could have received surgery, since some patients choose to wait longer than the earliest date offered to them.
| Surgical facilities by area of the province | |
| North West | Hospitals in North Battleford, Lloydminster, Meadow Lake |
| North East | Hospitals in Melfort, Prince Albert, Nipawin |
| Saskatoon | Facilities in Saskatoon, including Saskatoon City Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, Royal University Hospital, Jim Pattison Children's Hospital, Prairieview Surgical Centre |
| South West | Hospitals in Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Rosetown, Kindersley |
| South East | Hospitals in Estevan, Weyburn, Yorkton, Humboldt |
| Regina | Facilities in Regina, including Regina General Hospital, Pasqua Hospital, Regina Surgical Centre |
| Access to Surgery by Area of Service | ||||
| April 1 to June 30, 2023 | On June 30, 2023 | |||
| Area of Service | Surgeries Performed Within Three Months | Surgeries Performed or Offered Within Three Months | Patients Waiting More Than Three Months | Patients Waiting: No Offer of Surgery Within Three Months |
| North West | 90.5% | 92.5% | 203 | 154 |
| North East | 77.4% | 80.7% | 1,107 | 912 |
| Saskatoon | 70.9% | 72.3% | 6,743 | 6,373 |
| South West | 74.9% | 76.7% | 482 | 457 |
| South East | 96.2% | 97.2% | 40 | 24 |
| Regina | 65.5% | 66.0% | 7,338 | 7,283 |
| Provincial | 72.3% | 73.6% | 15,913 | 15,203 |
The percentage reflects the proportion of surgeries that were performed or offered within 3 months of the booking date. "Patients Waiting" counts the number of cases on that date in which a patient hasn't had surgery yet and has waited longer than three months. Area of Service indicates the location of the surgical centre in which the surgery took place, not the patients' place of residence.
There were 10,845 patients on the wait list who had already waited six months on June 30, 2023. Between April 1 and June 30, 2023, percentage of surgeries performed within six months:
- Province wide: 83.7 per cent;
- Regina: 75.6 per cent;
- Saskatoon: 84.1 per cent;
- In the other four service areas, percentages ranged from 85.4 per cent to 99.6 per cent.
There were a total of 29,713 patients waiting for surgery on June 30, 2023, (including people waiting less than three months). This is a wait list decrease of 15 per cent (or 5,516) since June 30, 2022.
2. Interactive Wait Time Graphs
The tables below give some information about recent surgical wait times in different areas of the province. They show the number of surgeries performed in the last three months, as well as how long people waited for the surgeries that were performed. They also show the number of patients currently waiting in each area. This information can give you a rough idea what the current wait times are for surgery. The tables can be sorted by specialty, so you can see how long the wait times are for a specific group of procedures like orthopedics or urology. They can also be sorted by area.
Current Wait Times - Median/90th Percentile
This table shows the median and 90th percentile wait times for the surgeries that were performed in the last three months. The 90th percentile wait time is the time by which nine out of 10 (90%) of patients received the procedure. The median is the time by which five out 10 (50%) of patients received the procedure.
Table - Waits by Service Area and Specialty
This table shows how long patients waited according to established wait time categories -- ranging from within 3 weeks to more than 12 months. Wait times are shown as the percentage of patients who had their surgery within that time category.
Graph - Distribution of Waits
This graph shows the distribution of wait times among patients who recently had surgery. It shows that most people get their surgery in the first few months after their procedure is booked by a surgeon, while other people wait many months from the time of booking. Some people have shorter waits because their procedure is urgent.
Wait Time Trends
The following three graphs show how surgical data and trends are monitored in the province. This report shows the monthly trend over the last 14 years of the median and 90th percentile wait times. You can refine your search by selecting an area of the province.
Counts of Patients Waiting by Time Already Waited
This report shows the number of patients waiting for surgery at the end of each month over the past 14 years. You can define your search by selecting an area of the province.
Surgical Volumes
This report shows the number of surgeries performed each month over the past seven years. You can refine your search by selecting an area of the province.
3. Cancer Surgery
Click on the following links to see wait time information on some common procedures performed for cancer or suspected cancer. The cancer wait time cases reported here are a subset of the total reported surgery cases. (Cancer cases are also included in other data shown on the website.) These links will open as PDF documents.
Cancer Surgery Wait Times by Area of Service
Selected Procedures:
4. Provincial Comparison
Since 2005 there have been pan Canadian benchmarks for access to health services, including some selected surgical procedures.
Click on the links below to see current data and trend graphs for Saskatchewan's performance against each of the pan Canadian benchmarks for surgery.
- Pan Canadian Benchmarks and Target Dates for Achieving Them
- Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG)
- Cataract Surgery
- Hip Fracture Repair
- Hip Replacements
- Knee Replacements
Check this interactive tool provided by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) to see Saskatchewan's performance compared to other provinces.
Radiation therapy is the responsibility of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Information on the benchmark "radiation therapy within four weeks of being ready to treat" is available on the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency website.