More collaborative family practice teams announced

More Nova Scotians will have access to primary health care with the addition of 39 health professionals across the province, says a media release from the province.

Nurse practitioners (NPs), family practice nurses (FPNs), social workers (SWs) and a physiotherapist (PT) will join 23 collaborative family practice teams in 17 communities.

“Patients need better access to collaborative primary health care, and that continues to be our focus,” said Health and Wellness Minister Randy Delorey. “Adding these health professionals to practices not only better supports family physicians and other health professionals, but provides care for more Nova Scotians.”

Of the 23 teams, seven new teams are being created and 16 are being strengthened. One of the new teams is in Dartmouth where a group of doctors will welcome two new nurses to become a collaborative family practice team.

The new primary health-care professionals include 15 nurse practitioners, 17 family practice nurses, six social workers and a part-time physiotherapist. Some are joining practices in the following communities:

New collaborative family practice teams:

• Dartmouth - 2 locations (2 NPs, 2 FPNs)

• Kentville - 2 locations (2 NPs, 2 FPNs)

• North Sydney - 2 locations (1 NP, 3 FPNs, 1 SW)

• Glace Bay (1 NP, 1 FPN, 1 SW) Expanded collaborative family practice teams:

• Dartmouth (1 NP, 1 FPN)

• Springhill (1 FPN)

• Sydney - 2 locations (1 SW, 0.5 NP, 1.0 FPN, 1.5 other health professionals)

• Westville (1 NP, 1 FPN)

• Lunenburg (0.6 SW, 0.4 PT) • Windsor (1.0 FPN) By expanding their practices and working collaboratively, these teams will be able to increase access to primary health care for more Nova Scotians, and many are accepting new patients from the Need a Family Practice registry. In other cases they are stabilizing practices by keeping patients from being added to the registry.

There are additional health professionals being hired to work in communities to address immediate needs as well.

They are ensuring practices can continue seeing all the patients they’re currently seeing, and over time some of these teams will be able to take on new ones.

Additional health professionals:

• Chester (1 FPN)

• Liverpool (1 NP)

• Kingston (1NP, 1 FPN)

• Musquodoboit (0.8 FPN) Valley

• Pictou (2 NPs)

• Parrsboro (1 NP)

• Hatchet Lake (1 NP)

• New Glasgow (1 FPN)

• Sydney (1 SW)

This builds on work last spring to create and strengthen teams across the province when 23 nurses were hired. These latest hires mean 31 teams in Nova Scotia have now been, or are in the process of being, created or enhanced. This will bring the total number of collaborative primary health-care teams across the province to 57. There is a collaborative health care team in Digby, which this newspaper has reported on recently.Earlier this year, Nova Scotia Health Authority says it received more than 100 submissions through their expression of interest process about collaborative family practice teams, which represents more than 400 family doctors. It says conversations about this approach to health are continuing.