On June 21st, 2023, the New Brunswick Health Council (NBHC) publicly released the results from the 2022 edition of the Primary Care Survey.
The NBHC Primary Care Survey is a population-based survey. Conducted on an annual cycle, its objective is to obtain information on citizens’ experiences with primary health care services in New Brunswick.
Over 5,000 citizens responded to the Survey in 2022. The focus of this survey is to evaluate the delivery of care, the experience as well as the level of satisfaction with the primary health care services received.
“Access to primary care services continues to be a challenge in our province. A variety of solutions have been introduced over time, but survey results are trending in the wrong direction, “explains Stéphane Robichaud, Chief Executive Officer.
The NBHC has drawn the following key observations:
- Only 1 in 3 citizens who have a primary care provider can get an appointment within 5 days, a proportion that has been getting worse over time. Timely access is worse in zone 5.
- Almost 2 out of 3 citizens with a primary care provider reported using other health care services in the last 12 months due to the unavailability of their provider. The services that were used the most are pharmacists, the emergency department, and the after-hours clinic.
- Over time, there has been a decrease in the percentage of citizens who reported being very confident in managing their chronic health condition
“ In order to see a positive change in our health system, it will be important to clarify and determine a global vision for our primary care services. Using resources adequately with the objective of ultimately offering coordinated services that ensure continuity of care and that meet the needs of New Brunswickers is crucial ,” adds Robichaud.
These results, along with all the other indicators from the 2022 edition of the Primary Care Survey are accessible on our website at nbhc.ca/primarycare2022.
For interview requests, please contact:
Nay O’Leary
Executive Director, Citizen Engagement
Phone: 506-869-6728
Email: Nay.O’Leary@nbhc.ca