The Nova Scotia Office of Mental Health and Addictions does not have a clear role separate from the Health Department, according to a new report from the auditor general published Tuesday.
Kim Adair says the office lacks oversight and a standard of what mental health and addictions care should look like, and the office does not have a full understanding of the services available.
She says the initial goal of the office, when it was created in 2021, was to work toward universal mental health and addictions care for everyone.
“That’s important because Nova Scotia has higher than the national average rates of mood and anxiety disorders as well as substance use disorders,” says Adair in a video posted to the auditor’s website.
The office works with Nova Scotia Health and the IWK regularly, and in the last three years has spent close to $1 billion funding care services.
Adair makes 10 recommendations, all of which have been accepted by the office.
Some of the major recommendations include signing an agreement with the Health Department that clearly outlines how their roles are different.
They create a standard to evaluate how well people across the province can access mental health and addictions services.
They add that the evaluations should include more than just wait times so that Nova Scotians can have a better understanding of the mental health and addictions care system.
To help people access care, the office will also maintain a full list of all mental health and addictions services funded by them, which they hope to have in place by December.
Other significant recommendations include:
- Set up a process that lets the office give suggestions to Nova Scotia Health and the IWK
- Putting key information prominently labelled and displayed on the homepage of the website
- Set up a regular reporting schedule for reporting care assessments
“It’s been five years since its creation, and the Office’s role, responsibilities and distinction from the Department of Health and Wellness are not clear,” says Adair.
