it\u2019s adapted plans for the central zone launch<\/a> based on the IWK experience, the union report says there remain too many outstanding challenges and it\u2019s calling for a delay of the May 9 launch date.<\/p>\n\u201cThere was a belief that government had exerted too much pressure to launch OPOR before it was ready,\u201d the report says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome are also worried that if the OPOR launch at NSH goes ahead as planned on May 9, that the IWK will receive further diminished support, even though it is clearly still needed in their workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report says that while the union and its members are supportive of the transition to a modern, provincewide digital record management system, there remain too many issues that need to be addressed before the system is rolled out more broadly across the province.<\/p>\n
Health authority readying for launch<\/p>\n
Nova Scotia Health said in a statement Thursday that officials understand staff and physicians may feel anxious and uncertain given the significant change that will come with the continued rollout of OPOR, but there are no plans to delay it.<\/p>\n
The statement said an extensive array of training and support has been offered.<\/p>\n
“We are exceeding our targets for staff training volumes and timelines and have enhanced what is available based on the IWK experience. For example, we are hosting opportunities across the zone for staff to test their login credentials, so failed logins are not a barrier to [clinical information system] use.”<\/p>\n
The statement said meetings with union officials have happened throughout the lead-up to launch and there is a commitment for more meetings as May 9 approaches. It said patient safety remains a priority and the May launch will inform subsequent rollouts later this year in the eastern, northern and western health zones.<\/p>\n
During the initial weeks of the launch in the central zone, some services are being slowed or paused to allow staff to have the resources they need to continue providing urgent and emergency care while also being able to work with the new software, it said.<\/p>\n
Nurses’ union shares concerns but sees progress<\/p>\n
Janet Hazelton, president of the Nova Scotia Nurses\u2019 Union (NSNU), said her members also have concerns about the system but she feels they\u2019re being addressed as best as possible.<\/p>\n
Hazelton said the first four to six weeks at the IWK after the transition were \u201creally concerning, \u201d but she said there has been \u201ca tremendous amount of positive progress\u201d since then. Her union represents nurses at the hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IWK as an employer has been very responsive to any of the concerns that are raised and they\u2019re pretty much on it right away,\u201d she said in a phone interview from British Columbia.<\/p>\n
NSNU members in the central zone are also concerned about the looming transition and Hazelton said they need to share those feelings with their managers so they can work through them.<\/p>\n
The transition is \u201cpainful, but it is something that has to happen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a person is being airlifted from Antigonish, that chart needs to get to Halifax before the patient and oftentimes that wasn\u2019t happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opposition MLAs echo call for pause<\/p>\n
Along with delaying the May 9 rollout, the NSGEU report recommends a pilot launch at a few sites before expanding, \u201cto identify problems and allow time to resolve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA phased implementation phase with a defined transition period with rolling starts would lessen stress and potentially avoid system-wide chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also calling for better training, IT support and formal readiness assessments \u201cto ensure both staff and systems are adequately prepared for transition.\u201d<\/p>\n
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said she supports the need for digital health records, but she said further expansion of OPOR should be paused until the health minister can assure people that the ongoing challenges at the IWK have been resolved.<\/p>\n
“I think that they need to prove, in particular to clinicians and physicians and families, that they’re ready for the rollout,” she told reporters.<\/p>\n
Interim Liberal Leader Iain Rankin agreed.<\/p>\n
“They have rushed through implementing a system that they weren’t ready for,” he said in an interview.<\/p>\n
Rankin said he experienced complications with the system first-hand while attending the IWK for appointments for one of his children.<\/p>\n
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![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777577648_63_default.jpg\")
Sandra Mullen is the president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union. (Sebastian Asprey\/CBC)<\/p>\n