
Government Home > Health Home > Wait Times > Plan to Improve Wait Times	or try How Do I Find...

Seeking Solutions Together

Plan to Improve Wait Times

Plan to Improve Wait Times


	The wait times provided here are for scheduled tests, treatments and services only.

Nova Scotia’s health plan, Your Health Matters , identifies ways to improve wait times for tests, treatments, and services across the province:

getting meaningful, reliable information and using the information to shorten wait lists and eliminate backlogs (read more...)
investing in the right equipment (read more...)
sharing more information to increase accountability (read more...)

But Nova Scotia’s plan does not stop there. It also involves having the right

mix of healthcare professionals as close to home as possible (read more...)
services in place to meet the growing seniors’ population (read more...)
measures in place to respond quickly to pressures across the health system (read more...)
technology systems in place to create system efficiencies and to help us provide safer, faster care (read more...)
primary healthcare services available in communities (read more...)

We are working closely with our health partners to implement this plan.

Getting Meaningful Information

Meaningful, reliable wait-times information helps to identify and address bottlenecks in the system. The province, thanks to the Wait Times Monitoring Project, has begun to collect and report comparable wait-time information across Nova Scotia. This project was also instrumental in establishing a provincial wait times advisory committee.

	Wait Times Monitoring Project

	Wait Times Advisory Committee

A Measure of Our Health and Health System reports Nova Scotians' views of their own health and their health care system. The report is part of a federal/provincial/territorial initiative that takes a coordinated approach to reporting health information. (November 30, 2004)

Top of Page

Investing in the Right Equipment

Province to Purchase Five Top-of-the-Line MRIs (September 1, 2005)
Province Announces $800,000 in New Health Equipment (July 8, 2005)
New Technology to Reduce Waits, Improve Access (June 16, 2005)
Number of MRIs to Double, Reduce Wait Times (December 13, 2004)
Province Announces $15.8 Million in New Health Equipment (December 3, 2004)
Renal Dialysis Services Expanded in Capital Health (March 18, 2004)
Renal Dialysis Services Expanded in Cape Breton (January 19, 2004)
Nova Scotia’s Hospitals Receive New Medical Equipment (November 18, 2003)
New Medical Equipment to Improve Health Care, Wait Times (November 14, 2003)
Cardiac Catherization Lab, More Procedures Will Reduce Waits (September 26, 2003)

Top of Page

Sharing More Information

Working Together Toward Better Care–Ministers’ Report to Nova Scotians 2004–2005 (PDF:625K)
Progress and Goals Outlined in Report to Nova Scotians (March 19, 2004)
Plan for Better Health Care Released (March 20, 2003)
Nursing Strategy Web site

Top of Page

The Right Mix of Healthcare Professionals as Close to Home as Possible

New Clinic To Bring Doctors to Yarmouth (August 18, 2005)
Nurse Practitioner Announced for Shelburne County (August 18, 2005)
New Assessment Program Addresses Nova Scotia Physician Shortage(May 17, 2005)
95 per cent of Nova Scotians Have a Family Doctor (June 18, 2004)
Department of Health Takes Action on Staffing Health System (April 5, 2004)
New Class of Health Professionals Begins Training (November 27, 2003)
Nursing Strategy Makes Progress in Year Two (April 16, 2003)
Province Educating More Nurses (March 3, 2003)
Nursing Strategy Web site
Family Physicians Accepting New Patients

Top of Page

Services in Place to Meet the Growing Seniors’ Population

New Long-term Care Facility in Cobequid (August 10, 2005)
More beds for seniors in Cape Breton (*PDF:54K)
New Restorative Beds (*PDF:60K)
Improving Home Care (*PDF:60K)
Proposals Sought for Cape Breton Nursing Home Beds ( April 22, 2005)
Northwood to Add 28 Long-term Care Beds(April 28, 2004)
More Hospital Beds Available in Capital Health Area (April 5, 2004)
Valley Nursing Home Beds Improve Seniors’ Care, Free Up Hospital Beds (November 20, 2003)
Continuing Care Web site

Top of Page

Health-System Measures

Improving Access to Mental Health Services (October 3, 2005)
New Hospital for Colchester East Hants Gets the Go-Ahead (September 9, 2005)
Improvements Announced for IWK Health Centre (August 31, 2005)
Improvements Announced for St. Martha's Regional Hospital (August 22, 2005)
Review and Analysis of Existing Pain Management programs (*PDF:55K)
Lillian Fraser Memorial Hospital to Get Upgrades (April 14, 2005)
New Money for Mental Health (April 14, 2005)
New Operating Room for Cumberland Health Authority (March 29, 2005)
Investments for Better Health (December 15, 2004)
Good News for Children with Autism (December 2, 2004)
Faster Access to Rehabilitation for Children and Youth (May 13, 2004)
More Hospital Beds Available in Capital Health Area (April 5, 2004)
Province Announces Plan to Manage Hospital Wait Times (January 27, 2004)
Better Mental Health Care for Nova Scotia’s Youth (January 22, 2004)
Solutions Outlined to Ease Strain at Capital Health (January 15, 2004)
Valley Nursing Home Beds Improve Seniors’ Care, Free Up Hospital Beds (November 20, 2003)
More Mental Health Programs Get Funding (November 4, 2003)
$1.8 Million for IWK Construction Projects (June 17, 2003)
Funding to Improve Valley Health (April 15, 2003)
NS Hearing and Speech Sound Start (*PDF)

Top of Page

Technology Systems to create system efficiences and to offer safer, faster care

NShIS Web site
Province Announces $800,000 in New Health Equipment (July 8, 2005)
Province Announces $1 Million in New Health Equipment (April 15, 2005)
Telehealth

Top of Page

Primary Healthcare Services Available in the Community

Evaluation Report Released on Strengthening Primary Care (November 29, 2004)
Primary Health Care Model for Queens County (September 14, 2004)
Primary Health Care Web site

Top of Page