Our progress on what we will do
Strengthen local decision making by empowering leaders in each zone to develop clinical health services plans to realign services with the needs of communities.
Give local leadership the supports they need to implement their plans, including the adoption of new technologies, integration with other areas of the system, and letting providers work to their full scope of practice.
Launch mobile primary healthcare clinics to help bridge the gap in primary care services.
Renovate and build more than 2,500 single-bed rooms over three years.
Seek federal government funding for at least an additional 1,000 new private rooms on top of the 2,500 for a total of 3,500 new single-bed rooms.
Work to increase staffing levels at long-term care homes to achieve a daily standard of 4.1 hours of one-on-one care per resident.
Increase culturally specific supports to ensure needs are met in a way that reflects the diversity of the residents of Nova Scotia.
Refocus efforts on Home First strategies to help more patients return home with increased levels of supports rather than wait in hospital for admission to long-term care.
Redesign the Home Support Program to better meet the needs of continuing-care clients and their caregivers.
Expand the INSPIRED program beyond Halifax to provide home care for patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Develop new chronic disease management programs to provide supports for other chronic illnesses.
Expand challenging behaviours supports for continuing care providers, clients, and their families.
Implement programming that better meets the needs of specialized populations such as individuals with complex behaviours and young adults.
Reduce wait lists by completing 2,500 additional surgeries in the next 12 months.
Establish a centralized booking system to manage waitlists for surgeries.
Realize efficiencies by establishing a process for central intake and pooling of referrals.
Continue to dedicate resources to expand operating room hours and capacity.
Develop a multi-year virtual care strategy.
Expand virtual care to include some consultations with specialists so patients don’t have to travel for care.
Integrate mental health services into the virtual care program for all Nova Scotians.
Introduce virtual care as another service option in emergency departments to lower wait times for patients without a primary care provider seeking non-urgent care.
Allow walk-in clinics to offer virtual care.