N.B. auditor general says province has ‘no strategy’ to address excessive ER wait times

The New Brunswick auditor general says more work needs to be done to address ER wait times.

The New Brunswick auditor general released a report on Tuesday that concludes the Department of Health does not have effective oversight mechanisms to ensure timely access to emergency health services.

Auditor General Paul Martin’s report on emergency health services in New Brunswick states only 34 per cent of emergency department visits met the key performance indicator wait time targets from triage to physician assessment.

The audit analyzed more than 1.7 million emergency department visits per year between April 1, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2024.

“During our audit period, over 249,000 left New Brunswick emergency departments without having been seen,” said Martin.

Another 470,000 visits weren’t analyzed because of incomplete records.

The audit found that the Department of Health:

• has not monitored relevant key performance indicators to ensure timely access to emergency health services
• has not established a comprehensive strategy to address gaps in timely access to emergency departments
• has not established or provided a budget that is aligned with achieving the overall goal of timely access to emergency departments
• has not provided complete public reporting on access to emergency departments

“Access to emergency health services is a crucial part of New Brunswick’s healthcare system. Timely access increases the positive health outcomes for patients in the province,” the report says.

“It reads to me really quite indictment,” said Green Party Leader David Coon. “Chief after chief after chief has requested an additional night doctor at the Chalmers in Fredericton and the answer was always the formula doesn’t allow that. They are drowning in the ER there.”

The report also noted there is an opportunity for the department to review emergency room data, to address the risks contributing to untimely service delivery.

The auditor general made 11 recommendations to the Department of Health. The auditor says the recommendations were accepted by the department.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore

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