Nursing shortage delays return of endoscopy services at Stanton Territorial Hospital

Endoscopy services, which were set to resume at the new Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife, are being delayed due to a nurse shortage.

According to a Friday morning news release from the health and social services authority, endoscopy services were closed as part of the transition to the new hospital. The services aren't being returned yet in order to "support staff training due to movement of staff from the endoscopy program to other opportunities within the health and social services system."

Nurses require specialized skills to support endoscopic procedures, the news release says, and the recent shortage in nurses has led to the temporary inability to offer these services.

"Timely access to care is a priority and ensuring we have sufficient specialized staff to deliver this service is critical," states Sue Cullen, CEO of the health authorityin the release.

Endoscopy is a procedure used to examine a person's digestive tract using an endoscope a flexible tube with a light and camera attached to it.

Some patients tobe referred to Alberta

Stanton Territorial Hospital delivers the majority of endoscopy services within the territory.

The health and social services authority says the main impact to N.W.T. residents of not delivering these services at the hospital will be "possible increases in referrals to other care sites." It says these referrals will be based on how urgently patients require the procedure.

Patients who require the procedure "as soon as possible" are being referred to Alberta, which was often the case even when the hospital in Yellowknife was providing endoscopy services.

Patients needing the procedure in a few days to a few weeks will also now be referred to Alberta while elective and non-urgent cases may be referred to Alberta or managed in the N.W.T. based on a case-by-case basis.

The territory is working with Alberta Health Services to co-ordinate immediate training of nurses in Alberta. The health and social services authority says it is also actively working to hire locum nurses to help with endoscopic procedures in Yellowknife while staff complete this training.