The health of Liverpool’s healthcare

Many rural areas in Nova Scotia are in the midst of a health care crisis with doctor shortages and emergency department closures leaving communities to do all they can to attract health professionals to their hospitals.

Despite having similar attributes and shortfalls as many of the rural hospitals such as the ones in Shelburne and Digby, Queen’s General has not fallen ill to the rural plague sweeping the province.

“Liverpool is such a unique environment and I wish I could can it and spread that kind of positive energy that the physicians and nurses have…there is no magic to that, people who are happy to be here attract other people who will be happy to be here,” said Dr. Peter Vaughan VP of medicine for the south shore.

Queens General physicians and nurses have a low turn over and almost completely full staff. There is rarely a time where the emergency department is closed and there are enough physicians in the community for any one who wants one.

Dr. Vaughan has a simple explanation for the health of health care in Liverpool.

“It is communities that attract family doctors,” he said. “Physicians have to want to come there, feel wanted and included in the community and Liverpool does a great job in that.”

He explained that there has been a lot of research around recruitment and retention of physicians and an engaging community is one of the key elements.

One method some communities have been using to get doctors is through financial incentives.

“Money will get people but it won’t keep them,” Dr. Vaughan warned.

What the community can offer the physician is important, he explained, but equally important is what a community can offer the family such as employment and activities for the family of all ages.

“One thing unique to the Liverpool area is surfing,” said Dr. Vaughn, which has brought some young physicians to the area.

“Liverpool has a very positive energy and doctors and nurses are happy to be here,” said Dr. Vaughn. “They are not complaining about not having things…people pick up on that energy.”

He admits that it is difficult to stop a downward spiral of hospitals losing physicians once it has begun.

“The cascading effect of that is when you start to lose a critical mass of that energy, then it is hard to replace it,” he said.

“Digby is now famous for its shortages and it then becomes difficult to attract people,” he explained.

He also pointed out Liverpool’s base of younger doctors are working towards obtaining the modern tools that they have gotten used to through their education such as electronic filing.