Nova Scotia Health, union dispute wait times for ultrasounds ahead of conciliation talks

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins

The provincial government says Nova Scotia’s largest union is misstating wait time numbers for ultrasounds, as the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union (NSGEU) says staffing shortages mean people are waiting longer than they have before.

The union said data from the province shows most Nova Scotians are waiting 320 days on average for an ultrasound. The most significant wait times are at Halifax’s QEII hospital, where 90 per cent of patients are waiting 364 days.

“That is not what those numbers mean,” said Jennifer Lewandowski, senior communications advisor for Nova Scotia Health in an email to 95.7 NewsRadio. “320 days is the longest time within which nine out of ten (9/10) patients were seen. It is not an average. The website shows a median wait time of 48 days, meaning 50% of people were seen in 48 days or fewer.”

Lewandowski said the numbers do mean 10 per cent of patients are waiting 320 days or longer to get an ultrasound.

Asked about the numbers, the union said it’s been hearing from members about the state of care.

“The employer can interpret the data anyway they choose,” wrote NSGEU communications officer Lucas Wide. “The information coming to the union comes directly from staff working on the front lines and that is, some people can wait 12 to 18 months before they get the care they need. This only shows how out of touch the employer is with what’s actually happening in their workplaces.”

On Thursday, the union said some ultrasound services are operating with half of the staff required to provide care, leading to burnout for workers.

“It’s very difficult on them, the fact that they are so overworked because of understaffing, all of those things lead to poor moral,” NSGEU president Sandra Mullen said. “We need to be able to stop losing the folks that we have and to recruit folks to come to these positions.”

Mullen says pay is making recruitment difficult. While the most ill patients in Atlantic Canada are referred to the Halifax area for ultrasounds, workers are making up to nine dollars an hour less than their counterparts elsewhere in the country.

The NSGEU will be sitting down for conciliation talks with the province next week as bargaining for its health care members continues. According to Mullen there has been progress made at the table so far.

“It comes right down to the financial part of the agreement, and that’s where we can find ourselves at odds,” she said.

Conciliation is set for next Thursday.