The new president of the provincial health authority plans to change what he calls a “very critical narrative” around healthcare in Nova Scotia.
Dr. Brendan Carr has decades of emergency department experience and recently took on the role of CEO for the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) after spending several years leading the Vancouver Island Health Authority in British Columbia.
“The prevailing narrative here tends to be a very critical narrative of the healthcare system and generally speaking, on any given day we have thousands of patients who are receiving care, who are receiving excellent care, high-quality care, their outcomes are excellent,” said Carr.
“There’s a lot of objective data that shows that the health system is doing a very good job here and yet, the narrative tends to be one of concern and criticism.”
READ MORE: CODE ZERO: Temporary emergency room closures on the rise across Nova Scotia
Carr was educated in medicine at Dalhousie University and has a lengthy resume in leadership roles.
In a press conference on Tuesday, he highlighted his enthusiasm for being able to return to the province of Nova Scotia – where he previously spent most of his career.
He feels the NSHA is moving in a positive direction when it comes to addressing widespread challenges like doctor recruitment and retention.
“I know that there are over 430 physicians that are practicing in our province, that are newly practicing in the last couple of years. Last year, we had 130 new physician hires, we’re on track to have a similar number this year and I would suggest to you, that those numbers are competitive with any other jurisdiction in the country, if not better,” Dr. Carr said.
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Currently, there are 46,991 Nova Scotians waiting to find a family doctor on the Nova Scoita wait-list registry.
A recent Global News series analyzed the number of temporary emergency department closures in Nova Scotia, finding the number has dramatically increased.
In 2018, the province saw a new high in the number of temporary emergency room closures at 1,504.
That’s nearly double the number of temporary closures in the previous year and more than triple the number in 2016.
Dr. Carr says the emergency department file is “an important one” and that there are a number of elements that are leading to temporary closures.
“I think what we need to do is stand back and understand this better and so over the next few months I’ll be going out around the province. I’ll be listening to people who work in the system,” he said.
The province recently rolled out a new compensation package for physicians in Nova Scotia that aims to make salaries and incentives to practice more competitive.
READ MORE: Nova Scotia doctors approve new, four-year labour deal that includes raises
According to Doctors Nova Scotia, the new deal will see family doctors’ annual salaries increase by about $60,000 by the end of the contract, taking a typical physician from $250,000 to $310,000.
Dr. Carr is hopeful the new contract will help alleviate some of the physician shortages, particularly in emergency departments.
Both the Nova Scotia NDP and Progressive Conservative parties welcomed Dr. Carr to the province and outlined their readiness to work with him in addressing healthcare issues.
“It is very important to clearly and without any sense of denial, take the measure of the real situation with the healthcare system in Nova Scotia and that means to recognize that our healthcare system is in fact in a crisis,” said Gary Burrill, leader of the provincial NDP.
Progressive Conservative caucus chair, Karla MacFarlane, welcomed the opportunity to address the widespread healthcare challenges.
“Too many Nova Scotians do not have access to primary care, their local Emergency Departments are consistently closed, and wait times for specialists, procedures, mental health services, and long-term care are beyond an acceptable standard,” MacFarlane wrote in an email statement.
With files from Alexander Quon
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