“NBers unhappy about health system, survey suggests”; so, said the headline in the Fredericton Daily Gleaner on Saturday, October 14, 2023.  The article was based on an Angus Reid national poll that interviewed 5,010 Canadians of which 285 were New Brunswickers.
I presume statisticians may consider those numbers are “statistically significant” but I would doubt that any serious business would make expansion or re-structuring decisions based on survey samples that are a tiny fraction of 1% of the population.  But where there is smoke there is fire.  Even with a small sample size, those in charge of program delivery need to pay attention because the poll at least indicates a need to dig further.  It did suggest, for instance, that those who responded had little confidence in government to deliver on its promise of reform.

One of the dangers of polls and headlines is that the great people in the system who perform with skill and compassion get swept up in the broad assessment of the health system.  The truth is that when you need emergency (life sustaining) treatment, some key elements of the system are there with great efficiency.

“NBers unhappy about health system, survey suggests”; so, said the headline in the Fredericton Daily Gleaner on Saturday, October 14, 2023.  The article was based on an Angus Reid national poll that interviewed 5,010 Canadians of which 285 were New Brunswickers.

I presume statisticians may consider those numbers are “statistically significant” but I would doubt that any serious business would make expansion or re-structuring decisions based on survey samples that are a tiny fraction of 1% of the population.  But where there is smoke there is fire.  Even with a small sample size, those in charge of program delivery need to pay attention because the poll at least indicates a need to dig further.  It did suggest, for instance, that those who responded had little confidence in government to deliver on its promise of reform.

One of the dangers of polls and headlines is that the great people in the system who perform with skill and compassion get swept up in the broad assessment of the health system.  The truth is that when you need emergency (life sustaining) treatment, some key elements of the system are there with great efficiency.

Disclaimer:  I am not affiliated with any political party; in my career I have tried to stay in my lane of administering hospitals and long-term care facilities.  It has always been wise to maintain great working relationships with persons in all major parties, sharing with them all that I know which is health and long-term care excellence.  Beyond that, who gets elected is up to the public as far as my involvement is considered.

With that in mind, and since I have been so visibly passionate about health and long-term care reform in the past several years, it goes without saying that anything that slows down what should have been a clear reform process is irritating to me.  In my commentaries, in the past 4 years, I have outlined issues around long waits in Emergency, Primary Care Access (or not), workplace culture and health manpower issues and ever so much more.