NS Government: Speak Up For Healthcare Tour Report Released

Press Release

February 10, 2022

Frontline healthcare workers gave Premier Tim Houston and provincial health leaders hundreds of ideas to consider as they move to fix healthcare in the province.

Ideas received on last fall’s Speak Up for Healthcare Tour consultation fall into three main themes: access to care, recruitment and retention and physical and digital healthcare infrastructure. A summary of what was heard during the tour can be found at: https://novascotia.ca/docs/speak-up-for-Healthcare-what-we-heard-report.pdf

“The system has been under pressure for a long time and the Omicron wave of COVID-19 is making things even more difficult for our healthcare professionals,” said Premier Houston. “I was struck by the passion and dedication of our frontline workers. I want to thank them for having the courage, and taking the time, to share their feedback. We’ve heard you, we understand, and we are acting.”

Hundreds of frontline healthcare workers from Nova Scotia Health, the IWK and Emergency Health Services, in addition to stakeholder organizations, professional associations and unions, participated in the tour and provided feedback. Site visits and roundtable discussions were held at the IWK Health Centre and at Nova Scotia Health sites in each of the four health zones. There were also follow-up virtual meetings with various stakeholder groups.

The government has already taken action to improve healthcare as it works on a multi-year plan. Steps taken so far include:

• establishing the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment, the Office of Addictions and Mental Health and the Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care
• replacing the Nova Scotia Health Authority board of directors with an interim administrator and introducing a streamlined leadership team to work with frontline healthcare workers and system leaders to drive change
• offering jobs to all graduating nurses in Nova Scotia and developing a nursing mentorship program
• opening urgent treatment centres in North Sydney and Parrsboro
• adding new vehicles and staff to double patient transfers and enable paramedics to focus on emergencies
• expanding virtual care to everyone on the Need a Family Practice registry
• investing $57 million to attract and retain more people to work in continuing care and to open beds more quickly to seniors
• launching a recruitment campaign to attract healthcare professionals and creating a team of navigators to connect healthcare professionals with the information they need to support their move to Nova Scotia
• completing extensive work at Dartmouth General Hospital under the QEII New Generation Project
• opening a new recovery support centre in Dartmouth to help people struggling with substance use and gambling addictions.

Healthcare workers and all Nova Scotians will see a multi-year plan to fix healthcare before the end of March.

Quotes:

We need a patient-focused, high-quality health system that will deliver care by the right person at the right time at the right place. The tour provided lots of food for thought from frontline staff, and I want to thank them for their dedication and courage to bring these ideas forward. We will use this information to help with decisions and our planning to improve the health system. We’ve already started making changes and frontline workers and Nova Scotians will see a multi-year plan to fix healthcare by the end of March. Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness and Minister responsible for the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment

As a physician and program leader, it is clear to me that the voices of our frontline colleagues are essential to creating a better healthcare system. The wealth of clinical experience in our workforce is a tremendous resource and will help us provide better care to Nova Scotians. Dr. Andrew Harris, Senior Medical Director, Mental Health and Addictions Program, Nova Scotia Health

Being able to take part in the process was so important. The work that we do here in the Women’s Ambulatory Program at the IWK is crucial to the health and quality of life of the population that we serve. Historically, reproductive health has not received the attention or funding it needs, so being provided a venue where all members of the healthcare team were invited to share their vision to improve access and quality of care in this province was exciting. Leah Pink, nurse practitioner, Women’s Ambulatory Clinic, Women’s & Newborn Health Program, IWK Health

It is no secret that the system is stretched thin right now, a strain that is being felt by myself and my colleagues across the province. As such, I appreciated the opportunity to meet directly with decision-makers and provide feedback on ways to improve the emergency medical system. I am hopeful those concerns and ideas were heard, which will turn into lasting and meaningful change. Adam Hussey, paramedic, Sydney

Quick Facts:

• the Speak Up for Healthcare tour included Premier Houston; Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson; Health and Wellness Deputy Minister Jeannine Lagasse; Nova Scotia Health Authority administrator Janet Davidson; Nova Scotia Health Authority CEO Karen Oldfield; and Kevin Orrell, Deputy Minister and CEO of the Office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment
• tour feedback included 2,391 online forum submissions, 254 listening sessions, five roundtable discussions, 67 video pitches to the Premier, more than 200 comment cards and more than 60 email submissions

Additional Resources:

The website for the recruitment campaign targeting healthcare professionals that was launched in December is at: https://liveinnovascotia.com/healthcare/

Mandate letter of the Minister of Health and Wellness: https://novascotia.ca/exec_council/letters-2021/ministerial-mandate-letter-2021-DHW.pdf

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