Emergency Health Services Legislation Introduced
Ambulance services in Nova Scotia will be strengthened and protected under legislation introduced today, Oct.1, by Health Minister Angus MacIsaac.
The Emergency Health Services (EHS) Act outlines the requirement for ambulance service providers to meet standards of patient care, performance and competency.
"Nova Scotia has the best ambulance system in Canada, and one of the top 10 systems in North America," said Mr. MacIsaac. "In fact, this was confirmed once again this week when the ground ambulance service was notified that it had just been given a full three-year accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Ambulance Services. This is the first and only system in Canada to achieve this distinction. It means that our system has met or exceeded more than 90 clinical and operational standards."
"A great deal of work has gone into making the province's EHS system what it is today, and this legislation will give the Department of Health the authority to maintain and improve that system by making sure that standards for patient care, ambulances and medical equipment and many other important areas are met," said the minister.
The new legislation will also provide the flexibility to have specified emergency health service providers enhance the primary care services offered in any area of the province. This practice is already taking place on Long and Brier islands, Digby Co., where paramedics certified in community para-medicine work side by side with a nurse practitioner to provide basic medical services to residents.
"Through our current performance-based contracts with service providers like Emergency Medical Care and Canadian Helicopters, we have been successful in ensuring that standards developed by EHS are being met or surpassed," said Marilyn Pike, senior director, Emergency Health Services.
"This legislation will ensure that everyone working within Nova Scotia's ambulance system is required to meet standards consistent with safe patient care," she said. "As a result of that, the public can be assured that when they call for an ambulance only qualified staff in a reliable, well-equipped ambulance will respond to their call for help."
Nova Scotia's EHS system consists of the communication centre, ground ambulance system, medical oversight (medical management of each call), LifeFlight (air ambulance system), the Nova Scotia Trauma Program, medical first responders and the Atlantic health training and simulation centre.
The Department of Health administers the system at a cost of about $65 million annually.