Improving primary care will ease pressure on ERs: Doctors Nova Scotia president

The president of Doctors Nova Scotia hopes changes to emergency care will lead to significant improvements in the province’s emergency departments, but says it's also important to continue focusing on bolstering primary care.

Dr. Leisha Hawker’s comments are in response to a government announcement to alleviate pressure on emergency departments in Nova Scotia, following the recent deaths of two people who waited hours for care.

"Many people access the emergency departments in Nova Scotia because they don't have access to primary care, and that's a long-term solution," said Hawker, president of Doctors Nova Scotia, during an interview with CTV News Channel Wednesday.

The changes announced by the province Wednesday include creating physician-led triage teams that will focus on admitting patients into emergency departments more quickly, and assigning extra physician assistants and nurse practitioners to emergency rooms.

Health Minister Michelle Thompson said the government will also expand a co-ordination centre that provides real-time data to emergency departments about the availability of beds across the health network.

Virtual emergency care for non-urgent needs is also being expanded next month after being tested in three hospitals -- a move officials say reduced wait times by more than 60 per cent.

Hawker says ensuring those with urgent needs get care sooner is the most important thing at this point and time.

"The emergency department is built on treating those with urgent or emergent health issues, it wasn't intended to provide primary care to patients," she said.

"And part of the problem in Nova Scotia is that our ambulances are spending too much time in the ambulance bay waiting to offload patients and then others who are having a serious medical emergency are waiting far too long for their ambulance.

"So, the sooner we can make those transitions operate more smoothly and quicker, the better access to care Nova Scotians will get."

In terms of staffing, Hawker says there is a significant shortage in Nova Scotia – an issue that is prevalent across the country.

Hawker said the problem goes back decades when there was a reduction in training.

"So, training more and also recruiting more and focusing on retaining physicians that want to stay in Nova Scotia, that want to practise into the more senior years. About a quarter of our family doctors in Nova Scotia are actually over the age of 60," she said.

"So, looking at ways that we can retain them part-time, and have them work as much as they want to, to help with that primary-care crisis that we have."

Details of Wednesday's announcement can be found here.