NS Auditor Health – CP

Source: The Canadian Press – Broadcast wire
Nov 22, 2017 7:05

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s auditor general says the province hasn’t clearly defined what to expect from a strategy to recruit family doctors or how to measure the success of its efforts.

Michael Pickup’s audit on the performance of the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the Health Department says the government has done a poor job telling the public about its plans for primary care, despite growing concern from citizens over a lack of access to doctors.

The audit also says the province still doesn’t have a clear, province-wide plan on how to deliver mental health services, even though work on such a plan started in late 2015.

Pickup says the approach to mental health care across the province is not consistent and has led to significant variations in wait time standards, eligibility criteria, and in how clients are assessed.

Pickup says the mental health plan needs to be completed and implemented “without unnecessary delay.”

He also says health officials have not completed recommendations made a decade ago to do a better job monitoring home care services to ensure they met contract terms.

(The Canadian Press)

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