REGINA — Provincial auditor Tara Clemett has outlined findings with respect to the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s use of travel nurses.
She said they made several recommendations to help better monitor costs, workforce impacts and patient care risks.
Travel nurses are commonly used to address staffing shortages within the SHA, but the practice has been criticized for higher costs. It was noted that SHA spending between 2019 and 2024 had increased more than 4,500 per cent, from $2.1 million to $98.8 million.
In response, the SHA had worked to reduce reliance on using travel nurses, with Clemett noting that they paid 15 agencies more than $75 million in 2025 — a reduction of $20 million.
However, Clemett said they found the SHA “needs to assess how reducing travel nurse usage affects overtime worked by its own nurse employees.”
“While cutting travel nurse costs does save money up front, increased overtime hours are not only paid at higher rates but they also raise the risk of staff burnout and potentially offset the spending savings that have been realized on travel nurses.”
She said they found that average hours worked by travel nurses in 2026 decreased 54 per cent from 2024, but overtime hours for their own nurse employees went up 26 per cent.
“Without sufficiently analyzing the reduced use of travel nurses and the related impacts on nurse employee overtime, workforce management decisions may be made without adequate information.”
Clemett also recommended the SHA assess using an internal float pool of its own nurse employees who travel to health-care facilities across the province where needed.
“We found other provinces like B.C. and Manitoba implemented this alternative staffing model. Having a float pool of nurses could reduce the reliance on travel nurses while also addressing staffing gaps in a cost-effective manner.”
She also called for the SHA to verify completion of criminal record checks for all travel nurses and mandate cultural sensitivity training, as it does for its own nursing staff.
“Doing so could help support safe and equitable care for all patients regardless where in Saskatchewan they receive patient care.”
Clemett also said their audit identified that the SHA maintained a list of travel nurses with known performance issues.
“For one travel nurse listed in 2023, we found the Authority used this nurse again at a facility two years later without documenting its rationale for doing so. This increases the risk that the Authority's staffing decisions negatively impact patient care.”
Lastly, Clemett said the SHA should consistently require timely invoices from travel nurse staffing agencies to reduce reliance on using estimated costs.
“We found examples where agencies invoiced the authority up to 11 months after services were provided, affecting the accuracy of reported costs to senior management, the board, and the Ministry of Health. The Authority's ability to reduce travel nurse usage is directly related to its strategies for recruiting and retaining its own nurse employees. By closely evaluating and monitoring the use of travel nurses, the Saskatchewan Health Authority can make better informed decisions and help ensure quality patient care.”
