MacLeod Report Now in Use at the Department of Health

The Department of Health has begun work on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Capital Investment in Long-term Care.

Led by Brian MacLeod of MacLeod Group Inc. of Antigonish, the committee was formed in February 2000 to examine how the department could address the ongoing capital needs of the province's long-term care facilities. In most cases, these facilities are nursing homes.

"I'm impressed with the hard work of Mr. MacLeod and the advisory committee," said Health Minister Jamie Muir. "The committee noted that addressing the capital needs of facilities must be done hand-in-hand with an examination of what kind of care Nova Scotians need as they age. It's all part of making sure the right care, delivered by the right means, is available in the right place at the right time."

Several of the recommendations are being addressed by the department:

• The Health Services Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. David Rippey, has recently begun addressing the province's continuing care needs as the second phase of its work. The first phase was released in the document Making Better Health Care Decisions for Nova Scotians.
• Seniors will have easier access to existing long-term care and home care services as a result of the Single Entry Access project. A demonstration portion of this project is now nearing completion in the Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority and the Cape Breton District Health Authority. An advisory committee is in place and a steering committee is being formed to guide the province-wide implementation of the project.
• A long-term care capital planning process has begun that will provide the means to assess the condition of the province's 74 long-term care facilities. There is $2.2 million in the current budget to address the immediate need for repairs, equipment and renovations.

"The report states that it's important that government, providers and the public do not work under the assumption that all we need to do is the same thing, only more and faster," said Mr. Muir. "I'm in total agreement. The Department of Health is looking at all aspects of continuing care, including the capital aspect addressed in this report, to make sure we're using our resources wisely."

The report is available on the Web site at www.gov.ns.ca/health or by calling Nancy Maguire at 902-424-7233.