Complaints to Sask. ombudsman increased 11% in 2024: report

The number of complaints to Saskatchewan's ombudsman rose 11 per cent in 2024, with major increases in complaints against the Ministries of Corrections and Social Services.

The numbers are from the ombudsman's annual report, released Thursday. In total, there were 4,046 complaints from the public in 2024, up 407 from the year before. Complaints to the Ministry of Social Services and the Ministry of Correction, Policing and Public Safety were nearly 40 per cent of the total.

The provincial ombudsman is an office within the Saskatchewan government that deals with complaints from residents who feel they've been treated unfairly by a provincial or municipal service. It also receives disclosures from public servants accusing the government of wrongdoing.

"We're really fortunate in Saskatchewan that we have very responsive public entities when our office calls," said Sharon Pratchler, Saskatchewan's ombudsman. "What we're trying to really emphasize is fair decision making by statutory decision makers."

According to the report, 98 per cent of cases were closed within six months.

One of the complaints made to the ombudsman involved a Saskatchewan man who had to undergo an additional lung surgery because the surgeon left a piece of equipment in his body during the first procedure. 

A significant portion of his lung was removed in the second surgery, after which he struggled to manage his health.

A critical indecent review was conducted by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, but the patient was never asked for his input. He also wasn't initially told the outcome of the investigation, despite asking about it. 

He finally got more information more than a year after the second surgery, but by then had "lost trust" with the SHA, the report said. He later died.

After a complaint made by the man's family, the ombudsman determined that the SHA failed to adequately communicate with the patient according to its policies, and did not practice trauma-informed care. It also failed to report the incident to the Ministry of Health within the required 60 days, or complete the review in time.

As a result of its investigation, the ombudsman instructed the SHA to apologize to the family, update its work standard for critical incident reviews and disclosures to better embed the principles of family centred and trauma-informed care, and develop a new mechanism to ensure timely reporting to the government.

In a statement, the SHA said it had apologized to the family and is committed to meeting the ombudsman's recommendations. 

"The SHA is focused on reporting critical incidents in adherence to the Critical Incident Legislation and Regulations while continuously enhancing processes and improving overall performance," SHA spokesperson Doug Dahl said.

As of January 2024, a new standardized SHA Critical Incident Management process using evidence-based best practice was implemented. This includes obtaining patient/resident/client/family perspectives through the review process.