Stronger Collaborative Health-care Teams In Cape Breton
Nova Scotia will soon be hiring 22 nurse practitioners and family practice nurses, with seven of those positions going to Cape Breton.
It means up to 4,360 new patients will be able to join collaborative health-care teams on the island.
They will serve patients in these communities:
- Cheticamp
- Florence, Sydney Mines, North Sydney
- Port Hawkesbury, Isle Madame, L'Ardoise
- Sydney and area
The province is giving Nova Scotia Health Authority an extra $3.6 million to expand family practices with a total of 13 more nurse practitioners and nine more family practice nurses across the province. The mix of professionals may change, depending on community needs and the recruitment process.
"Creating collaborative health-care teams across the province will help ensure more people have faster access to the health care they need," said Sydney-Whitney Pier MLA Derek Mombourquette, on behalf of Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine. "Nurse practitioners and family practice nurses are key members of these teams, and we are looking forward to having them here."
Team members will be added to practices in the coming months. This is in addition to the recent announcement of a new family practice nurse position in Glace Bay.
In the coming weeks, the health authority will issue an expression of interest in some communities, for family practices interested in hosting nurse practitioners or family practice nurses. Once that is complete, it will post the new positions.
"It's an exciting time to be part of primary health care," said Kathy Bell, director of primary health care, chronic disease and family practice, Nova Scotia Health Authority. "We've recently added family physicians in communities such as Glace Bay and Baddeck. Now, with these positions, we'll have the strength and supports needed to ensure people have access to primary health-care providers. Primary health care is about people getting the right care, in the right place at the right time."
These nursing professionals will join collaborative care practices where they will complement the work of doctors and other practitioners. Together under one roof, they will deliver high quality, appropriate care, when patients need it most.
Nurse practitioners take advanced training that prepares them to diagnose and manage illnesses, order and interpret tests, and prescribe medications.
Family practice nurses are registered nurses who can independently assess, plan and co-ordinate care, make referrals, and evaluate how people are responding to treatment.