Action for Health Data Updated

Nova Scotians can now see updated healthcare data on the Action for Health website.

The latest data – from the third quarter of 2023-24, October 1 to December 31 – shows positive results and trends in some areas.

“Nova Scotians should be able to easily find information and data about how our healthcare system is performing, including the many efforts underway to improve that system,” said Addictions and Mental Health Minister Brian Comer on behalf of Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson. “We are seeing positive trends, and we will continue to share information with Nova Scotians as we make the necessary changes to improve our healthcare system.”

The government is making progress on each of the six broad solutions to improve healthcare in Nova Scotia. All actions outlined in the strategic plan are now underway and their status has been updated. Six actions were completed this quarter, including:

• advancing a targeted immigration strategy to support recruitment efforts in continuing care
• establishing a health equity partnership to understand and address equity issues in the system
• refocusing efforts on strategies to help patients return home with more supports rather than wait in hospital for admission to long-term care.

Wait-time benchmarks for endoscopies and surgeries are being met more often over the past year, and the number of people removed from the surgical wait list is larger than the number of patients added in the last quarter.

The rate of people admitted to hospitals with complex needs that could be addressed appropriately through primary care has continued to decrease. At the same time, visits to primary care options recently added to the system, including community pharmacy clinics and virtual care, continue to increase.

The Action for Health website is updated quarterly: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth/

Other highlights from the third quarter include:

• the new Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre is providing a wide range of services and helping reduce pressure on other facilities
• healthcare services, resources, and information are now a tap away with the new YourHealthNS mobile app that connects Nova Scotians with care
• more patients are seeing better communication around referrals with the addition of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound tests to the e-referral system
• a new, larger collaborative family practice clinic opened in Eastern Passage
• the announcement that more seniors will get needed long-term care with hundreds of additional new and replacement rooms across the province
• more people in Digby County now have access to primary healthcare with the addition of nine new healthcare professionals to the Digby Collaborative Family Practice team.

Nova Scotians can also get data on access to primary healthcare on the Action for Health website’s daily dashboard, such as:

• in January, there were 1,353 visits to mobile primary care clinics, 5,385 visits to urgent treatment centres, 8,857 visits to VirtualCareNS and 5,751 visits to primary care clinics
• there were more than 13,600 visits to community pharmacy primary care clinics in January.

Quick Facts:

• everyone on the Need a Family Practice Registry has access to primary care clinics and all Nova Scotians can access virtual care

Additional Resources:

Action for Health progress updates dashboard: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/803e058d4ab747629a5c14419d7e5c4a

Action for Health daily dashboard: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/nova.scotia.health/viz/ActionforHealth-PublicReporting/Overview

News release – Strategic Plan to Improve Healthcare in Nova Scotia: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2022/04/22/strategic-plan-improve-healthcare-nova-scotia

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