The government of Saskatchewan says work is kicking off this week on an independent review into safety and security at the province’s hospitals, four months after launching the initiative.
In January, the health ministry said it was launching a review into hospital safety at the request of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) following a string of violent incidents and mounting concerns at facilities across the province.
The review announcement also followed the death of 36-year-old Trevor Dubois, who died on Jan. 9 following an altercation with security staff at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital (RUH).
In December, a video widely circulated online showed a patient at Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert being left outside in the cold by security staff.
The independent review will look into current practices at SHA facilities and provide recommendations to improve safety for patients, visitors and staff, according to the health ministry.
As for consultation, the ministry says the review will include SHA facility visits and meetings with First Nations and Metis organizations, unions and staff.
It is expected to take around six months, according to the health ministry. It is unknown when the results will be made public.
The review will also avoid looking into any activities “beyond the scope of security provided by protective services officers,” such as surgery wait times, medical diagnosis and treatment and triage at emergency units.
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It will also not include detailed investigations of individual incidents, current investigations or processes underway or completed, according to the ministry.
The health ministry says it has contracted Buckingham Security Services Ltd. to perform the review, under the leadership of executive director and former Saskatoon police chief Clive Weighill.
Weighill also previously served as Saskatchewan’s chief coroner until his retirement in early 2024.
Buckingham Security Services is based in Saskatchewan and was founded by former law enforcement officer Rod Buckingham, who served with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Regina Police Service.
Buckingham also acts as a security consultant for the Canadian Football League, according to the health ministry.
Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill previously said the review will take a “broad look” at hospital protective services and their operations, how incidents are handled and how safety can be strengthened in culturally safe and respectful care environments.
The health ministry responded to mounting concerns of violent hospital incidents and circulating images of weapons seized at emergency rooms across the province by installing metal detectors at emergency department entrances in Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and North Battleford.
The move followed what the province said was a “successful” pilot project at Saskatoon’s RUH late last year, with additional metal detectors added in December.
The province says the SHA has also put out request for proposals for third-party security services at a number of facilities across the province.
The SHA previously said it would hire 51 protective service workers to staff the metal detectors in the province, with the cost of the detectors and staff to be $3 million.
Both the metal detectors and third-party security efforts will continue as the independent review will “inform longer-term, system-wide improvements,” according to the province.
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