More nurse practitioners will be hired to lighten the work load in long-term care homes.
The province is spending $2.5 million to hire 13 of the highly trained nurses. They will work closely with doctors to diagnose and treat illnesses, order tests, prescribe meds and perform some medical procedures.
“Older Nova Scotians deserve dignity and higher levels of care, and we can’t do that without a skilled workforce and facilities with the right staffing levels,” said Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care. “This is only the first step of the hiring we need to do to fix healthcare for seniors and provide more care for thousands of people.”
The new hires will help address the gaps in long-term care and will also relieve other pressures such as reducing ambulance transfers, emergency room visits and long-term care admission delays.
“Nova Scotians have told us access to primary care is one of their top concerns, and we know seniors need higher levels of care as they age. These are two of our top concerns, as well,” said Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health. “This is an example of action we’re taking to hire more healthcare professionals, so we can improve access to care.”
The plan is to have them move around to places they are needed the most and also serve people who don’t have a family doctor.
