Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says he’s “open to anything” to improve the province’s struggling health-care system. Houston made the comments following a summit of health-care partners Tuesday, which included representatives from regulatory colleges, professional associations, education institutions, unions and service providers.

A news conference will be held Wednesday morning where Health Minister Michelle Thompson and Nova Scotia Health president and CEO Karen Oldfield are expected to announce “improvements” to care provided at emergency departments. The briefing follows a rare meeting on Tuesday between Premier Tim Houston, Thompson, top civil servants, and “health care partners,” which included organizations representing doctors, nurses, pharmacists, licensing bodies, and universities.  

HALIFAX, N.S. — Our health care system may needing intensive care right now, but the prognosis isn’t as dire according to the people in the system. Doctors Nova Scotia President Dr. Leisha Hawker says it’s good to see the province making it a priority and making changes. Although some of the recent announcements by government for triaging emergency room patients has her concerned.

A new report on the state of the province's emergency departments paints a dire picture of unexpected closures, long ambulance offload wait times, lengthy waits for care and patients leaving without being seen.

The Annual Accountability Report on Emergency Departments released by the province has revealed what health-care workers in Nova Scotia already know: emergency departments are being pushed to the limit. The report takes a deeper dive into some of the problems the health sector has faced over the past few years.

Calling it “a really long time coming,” Doctors Nova Scotia president and family physician Dr. Leisha Hawker says there has definitely been a rise in wait times when it comes to getting her patients in to see a specialist. In fact, she says data from 1993 shows it only took two months, a vastly different reality than what’s being seen today.

The association representing Nova Scotia's doctors says physicians are seeing an increase in the number of requests they're getting for sick notes, despite a request from the province's chief medical officer of health to employers to stop using them. Dr. Robert Strang made the plea at his last briefing in mid-November, saying employers are putting "unnecessary pressure" on the health-care system.

Family doctors and nurse practitioners will be providing virtual care to Nova Scotians on the Need a Family Practice Registry on a trial basis this Sunday as demand outpaces supply. The move expands a service that has, until now, only been offered between Monday and Friday. “At times, the wait to see a provider online may take up to three hours,” a Nova Scotia Health news release said.