Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions will be for the Minister of Health and Social Services. Since our last sitting, I have heard of individuals who had stroke symptoms and stuff like that, and there are different processes in the matter there, especially in our region, in our smaller communities. Can the Minister please explain what is the process when a person is diagnosed with stroke-like symptoms in the Nahendeh riding? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can let the Member know that the department and the authority take stroke symptoms very seriously and want to make sure that residents who are presenting with stroke-like symptoms are dealt with appropriately. It is kind of a difficult question to answer because it is important to note, Mr. Speaker, that an individual can present for a large number of reasons and stroke-like symptoms do not always necessarily mean a stroke.
However, if a person does present in one of our smaller communities where there are no doctors, with stroke-like symptoms or a stroke, one of the first things that we would obviously do is work to stabilize them in their current location, at which point the staff would be getting in touch with our medical response team, who would put them directly in contact with doctors in the Northwest Territories who can help determine next steps. Those next steps may include a medevac out of the community they are in, depending on the severity of the stroke, to a place like Stanton, where they can receive a CT scan, which is an important piece of the diagnostic tools available in determining what next steps will be. That CT scan will often help determine what those next steps will be.
Having said all that, Mr. Speaker, I want to also make clear that the department and the authority are currently updating their clinical practice guidelines for primary care nursing throughout the Northwest Territories. This work is in process. This work will help put in some consistent standards for nurses across the Northwest Territories in health centres on how to deal with things like stroke and stroke-like symptoms. That work is currently being done.
I appreciate the Minister's answer. At no point in time am I saying that the staff are not doing the job. It's just there have been some different processes to it, and I thank the Minister and the staff for dealing with this in such a proactive way. My second question: does the department have a mandatory time that a patient needs to stay in a hospital or a health centre before being released to ensure the person is able to leave and the medication is working?
The answer is no, there is no mandatory time. Really, it is entirely dependent upon the severity of the stroke and the condition of the individual and what treatments have been provided in order to stabilize or treat the individual. That can be different for every person every time. I can say that the doctors and the nurses will obviously want to keep the patient in until they are confident that leaving the health or the hospital will not put them at adverse risk, but there is no set time because every case is unique.
I thank the Minister for that answer. It is a concern, though, with some. I have seen and heard of patients that have been let go and then we have had to bring them back in. It's no fault of the department and that. It's just the process, but it is a concern, so I hope the department will come up with some mandatory time, at least. Mr. Speaker, when releasing a stroke patient, do they need to have a family member or somebody with them to ensure that they are looked after properly after they have been released?
Going back to the previous question, I really cannot say that we will have a set mandatory time before an individual can be released. Like I said before, it really depends on the nature of the condition of the person presenting with. Everyone is different. If we were to set a mandatory time, we might end up keeping people there well beyond when they should. I think what is important is that we have some clinical standards in place that talk about what certain criteria an individual must reach before they can be released as opposed to setting a time. I think that gives us the same result but through a different mechanism. Those are what the clinical standards we are working on will help us determine, is when somebody is suitable for release, recognizing patients can leave if they want to. The physicians, doctors, and nurses will often encourage them not to if it's not appropriate, but, ultimately, as residents, as people, we do have the freedom of choice.
With respect to the last question and whether or not family must be there or should be there, a similar response, Mr. Speaker. It is really dependent on the individual patient and their capacity after their stroke and where they are as far as being stabilized in what they are presenting with and whether or not they are experiencing some level of disability or loss of neurological function that may impair their decisions and their mobility. So it really once again depends on their capacity at the time of release. If the person is still experiencing some mobility, they would be encouraged to have some family support there with them, but we do not require it in all cases because they may be fine to leave without it. Other cases, we would strongly encourage it. It really depends on the situation and the individual.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Nahendeh.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the answer from the Minister and that clarification. As long as we are doing something to make sure that our patients are looked after properly, whether it is time or whatever process the department has come up with, I think it's great to hear. I am looking forward to sharing this information with the residents in my riding. My final question: does the department have a protocol for aftercare, especially for out-of-town patients? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I know that I sound awfully repetitive here, but it is really dependent on the condition of the patient upon release and whether or not they require more rehabilitation before they return to their communities. In some case, absolutely. A patient may require a longer period of rehabilitation in the hospital as opposed to being discharged for rehabilitation in their community, depending on the nature of the mobility or other neurological function challenges that an individual has.
Rehabilitation services at Stanton Territorial Hospital are involved in working with communities and what is available in the communities. When an individual goes back to their community, it is part of their discharge planning. It really depends on what is available in the community as far as supports, things like homecare or other supports. We work with the patient. We try to determine whether or not they can be released. Do they have the ability to be released? Are they physically mobile, or do they have challenges? Going back to the community, we want to work on a discharge plan that takes into consideration what resources are available in communities, what resources may not be available in communities to help in the discharge planning so that they can be released appropriately. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Yellowknife Centre.
