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Karen Oldfield to remain interim CEO of NS Health as search for permanent hire begins

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The interim CEO of Nova Scotia Health is staying on, for now.

Karen Oldfield’s contract was extended on March 31, as the search for a permanent hire begins.

Oldfield has been in the role since 2021, when Premier Tim Houston and his new PC government fired the previous CEO and health board.

Health minister Michelle Thompson says they want to make sure there’s a good transition period.

“This is just the normal course of things. We will go out to a search, and Ms. Oldfield will remain for the next foreseeable bit,” said Thompson.

Thompson said the extension would be over ‘several months,’ as they search for the next CEO.

“We’ll be looking at different skill sets, it’s all human resources work. I don’t think we want to pre-determine what people’s experiences have been. Ms. Oldfield has been an incredible CEO and has accomplished a lot of incredible things during her time here.”

Meanwhile, NDP leader Claudia Chender says the fact Oldfield is still in the role is concerning.

“The Nova Scotia Health Authority needs to go back to being what it had always been, and running an independent, non-partisan healthcare system,” said Chender.

She says a permanent CEO is needed with healthcare credentials, that is not a Tory-partisan.

Doctor with a stethoscope

New doctors in Guysborough County

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Physician recruiting momentum is building and efforts are paying off in Guysborough County.

Nova Scotia Health’s Physician Recruitment Consultant, Sarah-Marie O’Toole shares with us an internationally trained physician started in Sherbrooke in December, and they are hopeful for a new local one soon.

“We do have a North Nova family medicine resident graduating this spring. So, they’re heading into their exams in April, so wish them luck and they are hoping to return to their hometown of Guysborough to start practice by the summertime,” she says.

In addition to the physician candidate finding the right practice, she says their whole family including a partner, children, and pets need to find the right fit for them in Nova Scotia.

“We’re not taking our foot off the gas, so we continue put in effort to meet the healthcare needs of Nova Scotians and people in the Guysborough County area. We have a dedicated plan and a strategy for physician recruitment,” she expressed.

O’Toole tells us the Physician Assessment Centre of Excellence started last year where internationally trained physicians come to Halifax to be supervised and assessed.

She encourages you to follow their “More than Medicine+” accounts on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, if want to be part of their success, see where there are new doctors, or know somebody who’s going to medical school.

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NS Health didn’t follow proper policy on some health contracts; AG report

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The province’s auditor general says some health contracts didn’t follow proper policy.

Since 2020, Kim Adair says Nova Scotia Health inappropriately used alternative procurement on six sole-sourced contracts.

Adair says it’s important that Nova Scotia Health follow proper rules to ensure a competitive and fair process.

“Nova Scotia Health might need to act quickly to address the challenges facing the province’s health care system, but expediency should not take priority over appropriate due diligence, nor does it justify non-compliance with procurement policy,” Adair said.

Adair makes 13 recommendations in her report.

“They include providing clear justification to support the use of alternative procurement, and outlining the steps taken to ensure the best value possible.”

She says the issue doesn’t lie with the specific projects, but how alternative procurement was used to select vendors without competition.

Houston focused on progress, not process

Meanwhile, Premier Tim Houston says they’re more focused on progress in healthcare

He says they accept and respect the auditor general’s recommendations, but the outcomes are important.

“The reality is, in 2021 and 2024 I said we’re going to focus on healthcare. We’ve made incredible progress on that,” Houston told reporters Tuesday.

He says the report didn’t look at the value for money in the contracts.

“There are others that want to focus on the process, which we respect. But we’re focused on the progress.”

virtual urgent care - doctor virtually

Virtual Urgent Care can reduce wait time to see a doctor

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Nova Scotia Health officials are reminding you of a service that can speed up seeing a doctor for an illness or injury by hours.

Virtual Urgent Care has been available at hospitals for nearly two years and can support more people using it.

Director of Integrated Rural Health in Eastern Zone, Andrew Heighton explains you will still be seen in-person by a registration clerk who will help you through the whole process and a registered nurse.

“You will still receive an assessment if required. You can still get a prescription, you can still get x-ray, bloodwork, req’s, if it’s deemed necessary,” he says.

Patient, Chris Cooke being examined by Registered Nurse, Colin Graham while seeing Dr. Jan Sommers virtually. PHOTO: JESSICA LAING/ACADIA NEWS 

Guysborough Memorial Hospital Site Lead, Michelle Myers says the service is available to anyone over 12 months old with a valid NS health card.

“There’s a lot of stuff that we can do on site. It’s only the provider who’s virtual,” she shares.

Heighton says provincially only 1,000 to 1,200 patients a month use virtual urgent care, while Guysborough Memorial Hospital only gets about 10 to15 patients per month when they can support 10 to 15 per day.

Nova Scotia Health staff pose for a group photo at Guysborough Memorial Hospital. PHOTO: JESSICA LAING/ACADIA NEWS 

This service is available at various hospitals across Nova Scotia during scheduled daytime hours, even if their Emergency Department is closed or by calling 8-1-1.

For more information including hours and hospital locations that offer virtual urgent care, see their website.

Close up of a smiling female doctor in a blue suit with a Stethoscope at home.

Menopause clinic coming next winter, says province

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The Nova Scotia government wants to open a new menopause clinic.

Applications are already open for the new specialized clinic, and the government hopes it will open winter next year, according to a news release.

Co-founder of the Menopause Society, Dr. Maria Migas, says this is a top health priority for women.

“We know there is demand for better access to menopause care and information. We’re excited to be a partner in this work and for the Menopause Centre of Excellence to take shape to offer women this care when they need it,” Migas wrote in the news release.

Staff would include a doctor, a registered nurse, a pelvic floor physiotherapist, a gynecologist, and more.

They hope to treat symptoms related to perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause, through both virtual and in-person care.

Health Minister Michelle Thompson says this an important step.

“This clinic will address a long-standing gap in available care, reduce wait times for women and provide a clear path to care and treatment when it is needed,” said Thompson.