Wait Time Strategies Paying Off

The province is making progress to ensure Nova Scotians get faster access to health care.

"We are approaching a turning point and starting to see important wait time reductions," said Chris d'Entremont, Minister of Health. "We have made significant investments in this area and it is very encouraging to see that the strategies we are implementing are paying off."

Provincially, average waits for long-term care beds have fallen by nine per cent, or two weeks, since January. Wait times for residential care facilities have dropped 13 per cent since January and the number of Nova Scotians waiting for home support has dropped 33 per cent from one year ago.

These shorter waits are the result of efforts under the 10-year Continuing Care Strategy to open new long-term care beds, train and introduce hundreds of continuing-care assistants and launch initiatives like the Adult Day Program to provide seniors with the extra support they need to stay in their homes longer.

Patients are also experiencing shorter waits for cardiovascular surgery, bone density scans, barium enemas and upper gastro-intestinal tests.

The province's efforts to take action on some of Nova Scotia's most challenging wait times are also producing results for patients. Through the Scotia Surgery Demonstration Project, 250 orthopedic patients had received publicly funded surgery and seen improvements in the quality of their lives by the end of September. Patients report a 99 per cent satisfaction rate with this service.

Nova Scotia's ability to provide more patients with diagnostic tests has also increased as a result of $100 million invested in new equipment. The province's patient-to-MRI ratio -- one machine per 117,000 residents -- is the best in Canada. Nova Scotia's breast cancer screening rate also remains among the best in the country with the purchase of eight new digital machines. This past summer, the province added its first PET scanner, allowing Nova Scotians to get the potentially lifesaving test closer to home.

Patients struggling with chronic pain have more options after six additional clinics opened this fall. In addition to two existing clinics, they are providing patients with comprehensive care closer to home. Capacity is also being increased for patients requiring emergency care. Work on the new $17-million emergency department at the QEII Health Science Centre in Halifax, as well as the replacement hospital in Truro, has started.

Nova Scotians continue to have better access to doctors than anywhere in Canada. Nova Scotia has the highest number of physicians per population in the country, and the lowest percentage of people without a regular family doctor.

"We're building the right foundation and we're seeing wins, but we're not stopping here," said Mr. d'Entremont. "Access to care in a timely fashion is important to all Nova Scotians. I'm confident that if we continue with a comprehensive approach that tackles wait times on a number of fronts, Nova Scotians will continue to see results."

Reducing wait times is one of the government's five immediate priorities for improving the economic and social well-being of Nova Scotians.