SaskatchewanOccupational therapy services have been paused in multiple units at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, according to a memo shared by the Opposition NDP.NDP share internal memo from Sask. Health Authority sent to health-care workersAishwarya Dudha · CBC News · Posted: Oct 28, 2025 3:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesAn internal memo indicates occupational therapists have been temporarily reassigned to priority units at Royal University Hospital due to an increase in vacancies, leaving at least nine departments without access to occupational therapy. (Dayne Patterson)Occupational therapy services have been paused in multiple units at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, according to a memo shared by the Opposition NDP.The internal memo indicated occupational therapists have been temporarily reassigned to priority units due to an increase in vacancies, leaving at least nine departments without access to occupational therapy. The NDP’s associate health critic Keith Jorgenson called it the latest piece of an “iceberg of incompetence” on the part of the provincial government. “The Sask. Party’s ambitious recruitment plan is simply not working. They continue to drive health-care professionals out of our province,” he said at a news conference. The departments being affected include coronary care, general surgery, cardiology, emergency and the clinical teaching units where medical students would usually learn occupational therapy. Occupational therapists have been asked to prioritize eight other departments including ICU, orthopedics, neurology and trauma. An internal memo shared by the NDP indicates occupational therapists have been reassigned to priority units at Royal University Hospital due to an increase in vacancies. (Saskatchewan NDP )Jorgenson said occupational therapy plays a critical role in recovery after strokes, surgeries or traumatic injuries, and any delay in treatment can have long-term consequences.“These services are very time sensitive. There’s a very, very narrow window of time after a stroke or surgery where you need these therapies in order to regain full capacity,” he said. “Occupational therapy could be the difference between somebody learning to walk again and somebody not learning to walk again,” Jorgenson said. The memo comes after an open letter last week from 450 health-care workers at Royal University Hospital that urged the province to address “deplorable conditions,” citing burnout, vacancies and unsafe workload. Jorgenson said those concerns align with what he’s hearing from health-care workers across the province. “Taking health-care workers’ concerns seriously about the conditions that they work under would be a first step,” he said. Health authority response In a written statement, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said it remains “committed to providing high quality health care to the people of Saskatchewan.”The health authority confirmed that occupational therapy services at Royal University Hospital have been adjusted “in order to manage existing staff resources with the demand for specific therapy programs at the RUH.” “The Saskatchewan Health Authority continues to recruit occupational therapists through a number of local and national recruitment initiatives in order to fill vacancies.” ABOUT THE AUTHORAishwarya Dudha is a reporter for CBC Saskatchewan based in Saskatoon. She specializes in immigration, justice and cultural issues and elevating voices of vulnerable people. She has previously worked for CBC News Network and Global News. You can email her at aishwarya.dudha@cbc.ca
Occupational therapy services reduced at Royal University Hospital due to vacancies
