It has taken months but I am happy to report that any residents here in Fairview-Clayton Park who are on the Need a Family Practice Registry can finally now access Virtual Care NS.
Virtual Care Nova Scotia (VirtualCareNS) provides free, online medical appointments.
Previously, people had to receive an email invitation to use VirtualCareNS. Now, anyone on the Need a Family Practice registry can sign up for the service. The program enables people on the registry to have online appointments with a family doctor or nurse practitioner until they can be served by practice in their community.
The service launched as a pilot in May 2021. Since then, more than 21,000 virtual appointments have taken place. Nova Scotians have received care and advice for mental health concerns, prescription renewals, skin problems, infections, minor injuries, joint pain and other issues.
Patients whose health concerns cannot be resolved virtually will be provided with options for in-person care.
While there are only about 150 to 200 virtual appointments available each weekday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and on Monday evenings until 7 p.m. It is my hope that residents here in Fairview-Clayton Park and all Nova Scotians will see greater access as the need is certainly there. I will continue to advocate for expanded access to primary care.
To use VirtualCareNS, people must live in Nova Scotia, be without a primary care provider and be on the Need a Family Practice Registry. To get on the registry, you can call 811 or visit: https://needafamilypractice.nshealth.ca/
Once on the registry, people can visit https://virtualcarens.ca and use your Nova Scotia health card to get a virtual appointment.