One-on-one with Michelle Thompson
Health minister told health-care workers the government is listening
Health and Wellness might be the toughest cabinet job in Nova Scotia’s government.
Shortages of doctors and nurses. Among the longest wait lists in the country. Tensions between the health authority and many frontline health-care workers. A system under strain walloped by the pandemic.
The biggest budget — more than $5 billion.
It’s a portfolio in the spotlight that can grind up even experienced politicians.
When Premier Tim Houston unveiled his cabinet in August, he handed the job to political newcomer Michelle Thompson.
It’s easy to see why.
A registered nurse who’s filled multiple roles over three decades of experience, she’s also been an administrator, running an Antigonish nursing home. She’s past president of the Continuing Care Association of Nova Scotia.
On Wednesday, we sat down to talk about her first months in office and the challenges facing health care.
Thompson enjoyed an early tour, talking with front-line healthcare workers. “The optimism, the problem-solving, the engagement, the hope, was really heartening,” she said.
Her first exposure to the legislature? Not so much. “It wasn’t my favourite. … But I learned, I got through it day by day, and I will certainly feel more prepared when I go into the next sitting.”
Below is a summary of our discussion. For the full interview, check out the attached video online.
NOVA SCOTIA HEALTH AUTHORITY VS. FRONT-LINE WORKERS
“Trust is really important,” she said.
Talking face-to-face with healthcare workers during the tour was critical “so that people knew that we wanted to make a difference, that we were listening,” Thompson said.
The new government started by making changes at the top of the NSHA.
“No disrespect to the people who were in these roles before. It is a huge portfolio,” she said. “But we knew that we needed to try something different. Which is why we went to the leadership model that we went to so quickly.”
Is the new government’s message getting to the bureaucracy?
“Our message has been clear, and has been received, is what I would say,” Thompson said. “We want to move, as quickly as we can, but intentionally as well. It’s very important that we don’t create change for the sake of change. … There are some things that will not be quick.”
“We ask for people’s patience as we work through some of those more complex issues.”
STAFF SHORTAGES
There aren’t enough people available to fill vacant health-care positions.
Recruitment and retention — the latter by supporting health-care workers and ensuring they feel valued — are critical, the minister said.
“It’s going to take a while,” she said. “But again, incremental change towards the positive is what we need to start that momentum, and I feel that we’re getting there.”
Working short-staffed — a situation made worse by COVID — has come at a cost.
“We’re always worried about people who feel burned out and tired,” Thompson said. “It’s been a really hard couple of years with COVID, despite the fact that we’ve done well as a province.”
She wants to emphasize the positives of living in a beautiful place like Nova Scotia, and how fulfilling careers in health care can be.
“You know, I’ve had hard days as a nurse, but I’ve had wonderful days as a nurse, too,” she said. “To talk about what nursing has, and what
health-care worker jobs have, to offer is something that I’m very passionate about.”
Expanded health-care training, with diversity in enrolment, is also important, Thomson said.
WAIT LISTS
The pandemic, “particularly in the first two waves,” disrupted services, Thompson said.
“We want to get wait lists down to a reasonable amount of time, and there are benchmarks and targets that are set nationally that we want to be able to reach.”
(On Friday, the health authority announced continuing surgery delays because of hospital bed and staffing shortages.)
VACCINATIONS
We talked about COVID vaccinations for kids two days before Ottawa authorized Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 on Friday.
As previously announced, Thompson said pharmacies are the main planned route. But government will be flexible in communities where “another approach may be needed.”
For adults, booster shots are being timed to be available six months after one’s last dose.
“The NACI (National Advisory Committee on Immunization) guidelines are changing, and so we are keeping up. As they change, we change.”
Vaccinations, Thompson said, are critical for defending society.
“It protects us. It protects individuals. It protects the people that we care about deeply. It protects our workplaces. It protects our healthcare system,” she said.
“It keeps our economy going. Businesses cannot afford to close again. Vaccination is a key, key, key component in that multi-layered approach.”
TRANSPARENCY
The Liberals were at times criticized for not sharing enough information. I asked Thompson about her government’s commitment to openness.
The challenge, the minister said, is balancing privacy and transparency.
“We don’t want to withhold information. In terms of COVID and vaccinations, we want the public to trust the science, we want people to trust that we’re doing the right thing. And we share as much information as we can,” said Thompson.
“Sometimes, there are things that we just cannot tell.”
But, she said, greater transparency is a commitment of the premier and this government.
“As we move forward, I think there’ll be other opportunities to look at systems, and the way we report, and the things that we do, and share them with the public.”
HEALTH-CARE BUDGET
Finally, we talked about how Nova Scotia can afford what’s needed in health care.
The pandemic has illustrated that not investing earlier eventually cost us, in money and in lives, Thompson said.
“We are going to invest in health care,” she said. “I think there will be some savings along the way when we invest and have things kind of shored up as we move forward.
“And we will need partners in Ottawa. We’ve been very clear about that.”