Pharmacist Walk In Clinic+

A Pharmacist-Nurse Practitioner Collaborative Care Model in Action

Image

A first of its kind in Canada, Pharmacist Walk-in Clinic+ is providing access to more care in communities across Nova Scotia.

Through an expanded scope of practice, our pharmacists and nurse practitioners work together to order and interpret patient lab work, as well as diagnose and treat routine and non-emergency health concerns.

Partnering with Sobeys and Lawtons Drugs

Partnerships are at the heart of everything we do. As leaders in communities across Atlantic Canada, Sobeys and Lawtons Drugs share our determination to improve access and support rural communities, which can be underserved and underrepresented. The project is allowing us to test and try a new care delivery model and explore new technologies that will bring care closer to home for thousands of people.

We knew from the experience of our first pharmacist-led walk-in clinic in New Glasgow that this kind of innovative healthcare delivery model could work. Now, there is also a successful partnership with Nova Scotia Health with additional clinics in Nova Scotia. By pairing a nurse practitioner with the pharmacist in the clinical setting we can provide trusted, appropriate, and timely access to care. And, we have the data to show it is diverting unnecessary visits to emergency departments, adding capacity to our province’s healthcare system, and most importantly, helping people get the healthcare they need.

~ Vivek Sood, EVP, Related Businesses for Sobeys Inc.

The impact is clear.

• Close to 20,000 visits across the province have taken place since February 2022.
• We are relieving strain on emergency departments by providing additional options for care.
• We are increasing access to timely and appropriate care to Nova Scotians without a health care provider.

This exciting innovative collaborative care model and partnership has already made a difference in the lives of many Nova Scotians by increasing access to timely and appropriate care closer to home. There is so much potential, and we are continuously evaluating and finding ways to do better. This initiative has already yielded a policy recommendation around funding for pharmacist-delivered health services which will improve access to care throughout the province.

~ Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy, Vice President, Research, Innovation and Discovery and Chief Nurse Executive at Nova Scotia Health

Together, we are improving health and health care for Nova Scotians.