Our team has been working with healthcare professionals across the province to determine what is needed to bring Nova Scotians timely access to the best care possible.

One thing we can all agree on is that we have incredibly dedicated health professionals here and once you’re in the system, you do receive extraordinary care.

The trouble is...getting in.

We should never have to worry about getting the care we need when we need it. We should never have to watch our loved ones suffer without help. For our Caucus and Party, making sure that Nova Scotians have timely access to the healthcare they need is not politics. It’s personal.

Imagine a future where healthcare in rural Nova Scotia is no longer forgotten and is a priority.

Imagine a future where we embrace modernization, and you can speak to a health professional when you need one.

Imagine a future where our healthcare professionals feel respected and valued and are actually able to make decisions at the local level, instead of waiting for someone in Halifax to make a decision.

That’s why we are committing to delivering hope for the future of healthcare with a practical plan for primary health that includes:

Access

  • Telehealth/virtual care for everyone on the waiting list for a primary care provider.
  • Open our operating rooms so that surgeons can operate outside of Monday to Friday, 9-5, to address the backlog.
    • Establish a goal to meet the benchmark standards for wait times as established by the Wait Time Alliance within 18 months.


Recruitment and Retention

  • Respect and value our healthcare providers through improved salaries for family physicians and increased local decision-making.
  • Establish a clinical health services plan in every region.
    • Put a team lead in place to be accountable for this plan and recruitment on a local level.
  • Create mentoring relationships for new graduates.
  • Increase residency seats and supports for foreign-trained physicians.

Modernization

  • Expand the current virtual care framework to allow specialists to see patients virtually.
  • Expand virtual care to other healthcare providers (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, etc.)


Chronic Illness

  • Establish the Chronic Illness Treatment and Prevention program for in-home treatment focusing on those with chronic illnesses.

Prevention

  • Make physical education mandatory in the grades 10-12 curriculum.
  • Work with Schools Plus and local community organizations to institute a healthy eating course for every grade 12 student.
  • Establish a virtual smoking cessation program through virtual care.


Administration

  • Decisions should be made as close to the patient as possible and driven by patient behaviours.
  • Move from process-centred decisions to patient-centric decisions, focused on results.
  • Consolidate the Department of Health and Wellness and the NSHA with a reoptimized structure within 12-18 months.
  • Establish a culture of continuous improvement by appointing a healthcare auditor.


Read Tim's Full Plan for the Future of Healthcare