BILL NO. 116
(as introduced)
1st Session, 65th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
3 Charles III, 2025
Private Member's Public Bill
Emergency Department Accountability and Transparency Act
Rod Wilson
Halifax Armdale
First Reading: March 25, 2025
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act to Provide Transparency and Accountability
Respecting Hospital Emergency Departments
WHEREAS keeping hospital emergency departments open to provide safe, quality care and reducing wait times in healthcare is a Government of Nova Scotia responsibility;
AND WHEREAS health authorities are responsible for effective management strategies throughout the health and hospital system, which have an impact on emergency department overcrowding and wait times, including appropriate staffing, training, consistency of standards and planning to ensure patient access to safe and timely care across Nova Scotia;
THEREFORE be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the Emergency Department Accountability and Transparency Act.
2 The purpose of this Act is to provide public accountability and transparency to communities respecting emergency departments.
"closure" of a particular emergency department means a closure that results in there being no emergency department services available to the public from that emergency department;
"emergency department" means an emergency department operated by a health authority;
"health authority" has the same meaning as in the Health Authorities Act;
"Minister" means the Minister of Health and Wellness.
4 (1) Where an emergency department of a health authority has experienced an ongoing pattern of closure of the emergency department in the last fiscal year, the health authority shall consult with the community served by the emergency department as part of the consultations conducted in accordance with its next public engagement plan as defined by the Health Authorities Act.
(2) The consultation must include consideration of proposed community solutions to keep open or reopen the emergency department or to provide alternative health services.
5 (1) A health authority shall report, as soon as it is aware, of a potential closure and the reason for such closure to the Minister.
(2) A health authority shall report to the Minister within a reasonable period of time on all consultations pursuant to this Act and the actions taken or to be taken by the health authority as a result of the consultations.
6 The Minister shall table quarterly a report in the House of Assembly that provides
(a) the dates of closures of any emergency departments in the Province and the reason for the closures by individual hospital within each health authority;
(b) the nature and outcome of all consultations reported pursuant to subsection 5(2);
(c) the actions taken or to be taken by a health authority as a result of the consultations reported pursuant to subsection 5(2);
(d) the dates and hours of closures and whether the closures were planned or unplanned for any emergency departments, urgent treatments centres and collaborative emergency centre by individual site within each health authority;
(e) the number of hours of virtual care offered in emergency departments and the number and percentage of patients of emergency departments who accessed virtual care in an emergency department;
(f) the number of patient visits to emergency departments by individual hospital within each health authority;
(g) the number of patients who left an emergency department without being seen by a healthcare provider other than for triage;
(h) the distribution of triage levels and patient acuity at emergency departments;
(i) average emergency department wait times from triage to being seen by a healthcare provider by individual hospital within each health authority, including
- (i) the number of patients who waited more than five hours,
(ii) the number of patients who waited more than 10 hours, and
(iii) the number of patients who waited more than 15 hours; and
(j) the number and percentage of patients who were on the Need a Family Practice Registry by individual hospital within each health authority.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2025 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created March 25, 2025. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
