As provincial data shows Tele-Care 811 call back wait times spiked after switching virtual care providers, New Brunswick Health Minister John Dornan is standing by the service. “We resolve these calls on the first time 60 per cent of the time. And if they had to be directed somewhere else, or more information is necessary, our resolution rate is quite high,” he told CTV News at the provincial legislature on Friday. Sixty-five per cent of 811 calls between July and September were resolved within minutes, on average, according to the Department of Health. But its data shows the call back wait time if a nurse is not immediately available rose from 12 minutes in June, to over three hours last month. The department said part of the wait time increase is due to the switch from eVisitNB’s services on the Maple app to Virtual Care NB on June 30. The new service in part uses 811 to schedule appointments. In June, the province also began directing non-urgent 911 calls to 811. “Sometimes we need follow up. Sometimes people need to be referred to 911, sometimes virtual care and sometimes emergency departments. So our response time is not hours, it’s minutes,” Dornan said. He said Virtual Care NB has an 86 per cent patient satisfaction rate. But others, like the Progressive Conservative health critic MLA Bill Hogan, want changes. “It’s disconcerting that New Brunswickers are not getting the service that they had before, and they’re certainly not getting the service that they were promised,” he said. N.B. Green Party leader David Coon sees the 811 wait times as part of a bigger issue. “The system is a mess. It’s in tatters. And this government seems so focused on box checking their election commitments rather than rising to the moment and actually solving problems. Meanwhile, the executive director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents’ Rights said 811 is not enough for seniors, who need more in-person health care options. “They’re not going to sit on the phone and wait for four hours or five hours. They’re just not going to call. And that’s so unfortunate because they’re not able to diagnose themselves,” Cecile Cassista said. The increased wait time comes amid broader criticisms about the change from New Brunswick-based eVisitNB to Luxembourg-based Foundever Assistance Services Corp. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
