Nova Scotia announces additional resources to alleviate pressure on ERs

Nova Scotia has announced extra resources to alleviate the pressure on strained emergency departments at a cost of 'tens of millions' of dollars, although an exact figure wasn’t provided.

Nova Scotia has announced extra resources to alleviate the pressure on strained emergency departments at a cost of “tens of millions” of dollars, although an exact figure wasn’t provided.

At a news conference this morning, officials outlined extra measures to help address long wait times and overcrowding in the province’s ERs.

The measures include establishing physician-led teams in ERs to triage patients, with a focus on getting patients out of ambulances and into hospitals more quickly.

The provincial government also plans to establish waiting room care providers in every ER in the province by Saturday. They will reassess and check on patients, and patient advocates will provide food and blankets to keep people comfortable.

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.

Officials say the focus is on ensuring those with urgent needs get care sooner, but also to transform the system long-term.

“The needs of the system have expanded and changed, but the system has not,” said Health Minister Michelle Thompson. “Our government was elected to change that ... after so many years of neglect. The past is not the future.”