N.B. plan to close ER overnight full of ‘gaps’

• New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says criticism of his government’s decision to close emergency rooms overnight in six community hospitals exposed serious gaps in the plan and led him to reverse course.

“I can’t in good conscience move forward without addressing the concerns and fears that have been brought to light,” Higgs told a news conference Monday.

Higgs issued a statement Sunday night saying he was cancelling the closures, scheduled to take effect next month, to allow for community consultations.

Since it was announced Feb. 11, the plan has drawn criticism from the affected communities, health professionals, opposition parties and members of his own minority Tory government.

The reforms were intended to address a shortage in human resources and an aging population. They would have seen an increase in mental health services in the communities and the conversion of acute care beds to long-term care for patients awaiting nursing homes.

Higgs said the changes raised many questions that could not be answered.

“I didn’t expect that there would be so many gaps in the rollout plan, and gaps that people legitimately identified that could not be legitimately answered,” he said. Higgs said he was even told that the provincial ambulance service had not been consulted.

As a result, he met Sunday with representatives of the two regional health authorities. “Their recommendation was not to proceed at this time,” Higgs said.