Nurse practitioners could start running walk-in clinics by January, P.E.I.'s health minister says - CBC

P.E.I. health authorities are deep into negotiations and the health minister expects nurse practitioners to hammer out the finer details in the coming weeks. (Ben Nelms/CBC)Social SharingNurse practitioners on Prince Edward Island could start working fee-for-service and running their own walk-in clinics by January, according to provincial health minister Cory Deagle.

That would arrive earlier than the original timeline of spring 2027.

Deagle says health authorities are deep into negotiations and he expects nurse practitioners to hammer out the finer details in the coming weeks.

"How that compensation model would work, et cetera, those are the details that are being ironed out. It's never really fast, but we're moving as fast as we can," Deagle told CBC.

"We have 30,000 Islanders on the patient registry and they need access to care, so this is one more way that they can get access to care if we can help expand the number of walk-in clinics and nurse practitioners being able to work at them."

Health Minister Cory Deagle originally expected nurse practitioners to have the fee-for-service option available in spring 2027, but now says it could come as soon as January. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)

Deagle fielded questions on the topic in the legislature Tuesday from Tayte Willows, who was elected in July. It was Day 1 of the fall sitting and the Green MLA's first-ever time asking questions during question period.

Willows said having nurse practitioners run walk-in clinics would be a "huge deal" for Islanders.

"It helps to keep people out of the emergency room for things that aren't emergencies, when they can't get in to other types of care, so I think that's really important," she said in an interview.

Physicians on P.E.I. may work fee-for-service at private clinics if they choose, which allows them to earn money for every patient they see. Nurse practitioners cannot, at the moment, but have been asking for this for years, Deagle said.

He said among the discussions happening now is whether that would have an effect on nurse practitioner staffing within the public health-care system, where exactly the services would take place and whether there would be late-night or weekend availability.

"Those are just things we're keeping in mind as those negotiations and consultations move forward," he said.

"That's the balance we want to find … that's something they want to contribute to and I think we can make that work."

Willows said nurse practitioners have been very clear this is something they want to do on top of their work in the public health-care system.

Green MLA Tayte Willows says she doesn't expect nurse practitioners having the fee-for-service option to have an effect on staffing within the public health-care system. (Rick Gibbs/CBC)

"For them to be able to work outside of those hours to deliver care, be it through a walk-in clinic, through Maple, those avenues that current don't exist for them," Willows said in an interview.

"I don't see it taking away from our public system, but rather enhancing it and providing another avenue for Islanders to get care."

Cody MacKay is a writer, editor and producer for CBC News on Prince Edward Island. From Summerside, he's a UPEI history and Carleton masters of journalism grad who joined CBC P.E.I. in 2017. You can reach him at cody.mackay@cbc.ca