- What is the Primary Care Survey?
- What is the purpose of this Survey?
- What is primary care?
- Why is it important to have a survey about primary care?
- How often does the NBHC Conduct the Primary Care Survey?
- Who can take part in this survey?
- Who is conducting the Primary Care Survey?
- When will the data collection take place and for how long?
- What kind of questions does the survey ask?
- When will the survey results be available?
- How does the NBHC protect personal information?
- How are the survey answers used?
- Can health care staff also participate in this survey?
- What is the difference between the Primary Care Survey and the Population Health Survey?
- Can I see past results?
- Who do I call if I have any questions or concerns?
1. WHAT IS THE PRIMARY CARE SURVEY?
The Primary Care Survey is administered by telephone and/or online and is conducted by the New Brunswick Health Council. The survey asks New Brunswickers about their access to, and experiences with their family doctor or nurse practitioner, if they have one. The survey also reports on use of, and experiences with, emergency departments, after-hours clinics, Tele-Care 811, their consultations with pharmacists, as well as mental health services.
2. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS SURVEY?
The Primary Care Survey aims to provide a better understanding of citizens’ experiences with primary care services in New Brunswick.
Citizens should be given the chance to express their opinions about the health care services they receive. The Primary Care Survey asks citizens about:
- The availability of primary care services, such as family doctors, nurse practitioners, and other services in their region;
- The accessibility of the primary care services that are available to them; and
- Their experiences with the primary care services they received.
The results from this Survey will be made publicly available on the NBHC website. They can inform on what is being done well and what could be done better in primary care in New Brunswick.
3. WHAT IS PRIMARY CARE?
Primary care is usually defined as the first point of entry with the health care system.
Primary care is essential to helping citizens remain healthy, preventing illnesses, and managing chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or mental health conditions.
It is generally delivered by a family doctor or nurse practitioner and includes services like medical appointments, walk-in clinics, mental health services, virtual care, and more.
4. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SURVEY ABOUT PRIMARY CARE?
Primary care services affect the lives of all New Brunswick citizens in many ways. It is important for New Brunswickers to understand how primary care services are being delivered and whether access to these services is improving. This survey is an opportunity for New Brunswickers in all regions to share their experiences.
Access to primary care was identified as a strategic area of focus by the Government of New Brunswick. As a result, various initiatives have been put in place to improve access to primary care services. Asking citizens about their access to and experiences with these services can help drive improvements in primary care services for everyone in New Brunswick.
5. HOW OFTEN DOES THE NBHC CONDUCT THE PRIMARY CARE SURVEY?
Since 2022, the Primary Care Survey has been conducted annually. Beginning in 2026–2027, the NBHC will conduct the survey more frequently using two formats: a short, focused survey to provide more timely information on access to primary care, and the annual survey that captures a complete picture of New Brunswickers' access and experiences with primary care services.
6. WHO CAN TAKE PART IN THIS SURVEY?
Residents of New Brunswick who are 18 years of age or older, and have a personal New Brunswick phone number, may be selected to respond to the Primary Care Survey.
Participation is voluntary.
The NBHC uses a random sampling method for the Primary Care Survey. This means that individuals are chosen at random and asked to answer the questionnaire over the phone or online. For this reason, not everyone who is eligible to participate will be selected.
The New Brunswick Health Council is committed to actively engaging citizens in health service quality improvement. Even if you do not get a call to participate in this survey, there will be other opportunities for you to voice your opinions about the health care system.
7. WHO IS CONDUCTING THE PRIMARY CARE SURVEY?
The data collection for the 2026 Focused Primary Care Survey is being conducted by Advanis Inc., an independent research company, on behalf of the New Brunswick Health Council (NBHC)
The NBHC is an independent organization that measures, monitors and evaluates New Brunswick’s health care system performance and population health, and engages citizens in the improvement of health service quality.
8. WHEN WILL THE DATA COLLECTION TAKE PLACE AND FOR HOW LONG?
Calls to complete the Focused Primary Care Survey will start on August 4th, 2026 and will continue until 30th September 2026.
Calls to complete the annual Primary Care Survey will start in January 2027.
9. WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS DOES THE SURVEY ASK?
The questions vary depending on the survey.
The focused survey, conducted more frequently, asks about:
• Whether New Brunswickers have a regular primary care provider.
• Whether they can access that provider in a timely manner.
• Their preferred official language for receiving health care services.
• Basic demographic information, such as age, education, income, postal code, and whether they identify with certain population groups.
The Primary Care Survey, conducted annually, includes these same core questions and also asks about:
• Experiences with their primary care provider.
• Use of other primary care services when their regular provider is unavailable or when they do not have one.
• Additional topics that rotate each year, such as virtual care, mental health, chronic condition management, and barriers to accessing care.
10. WHEN WILL THE SURVEY RESULTS BE AVAILABLE?
The results of the 2026 Focused Primary Care survey will be available in November 2026.
11. HOW DOES THE NBHC PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Answers are kept strictly confidential and are combined with others for public reporting. All the necessary steps are taken to ensure that the information collected from the Primary Care Survey is protected and secure. The survey adheres to the privacy laws of New Brunswick under the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act (PHIPAA). Doctors, nurses and other health care providers will not know how individual participants responded. Respondents have the option to skip any question on the survey if they are not comfortable answering it.
12. HOW ARE THE SURVEY ANSWERS USED?
The responses from this survey help us understand the difficulties citizens experience when in need of health care services. The results guide our work to keep citizens informed about progress in health service quality, as well as shape the NBHC’s recommendations to the Minister of Health.
Based on the survey results, the NBHC provides information that enables stakeholders (like the Government of New Brunswick, Regional Health Authorities and communities) to identify priorities and develop plans to improve health service quality.
13. CAN HEALTH CARE STAFF ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SURVEY?
Yes. Health care providers also receive services from the health care system. This survey is an opportunity for everyone to have their say as a citizen of New Brunswick.
14. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PRIMARY CARE SURVEY AND THE POPULATION HEALTH SURVEY?
They are two different surveys with different purposes:
The Population Health Survey aims to better understand the health status of New Brunswickers, the factors that can influence their health and health needs at the local level.
The Primary Care Survey aims to better understand the access and experience with primary care services
15. CAN I SEE PAST RESULTS?
Past results can be accessed on the Survey results page
16. WHO DO I CALL IF I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?
If you have any questions or would like to have more information about this survey or its results, please call the toll-free number 1-877-225-2521.