Need a Family Practice Registry

The Need a Family Practice Registry  assists Nova Scotians who are looking for a primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner).

If you do not have a primary care provider or your provider is closing their practice, there are two ways you can join the Registry:

  1. Register online by clicking the Register/Update button below.
  2. If you are unable to register online, please call 811, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

What is the health questionnaire?
Nova Scotia Health has updated the Need a Family Practice Registry to include a health questionnaire. The information you share on the questionnaire will help us understand the health concerns of Nova Scotians and allow us to improve or create the right support and services.

How can I complete the health questionnaire if I am already on the Registry?
If you are already on the Registry and want to add or change any of your information, please complete the short registration process again by using one of the two options above.

This questionnaire will help us share information with you about primary healthcare services that you can access while you are on the Registry.

How can I confirm that my dependents or I are on the Registry?
If you are not sure if you are already on the Registry and want to check, please click the Confirm button below or call 811, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

If you want to check if any of your dependents are already on the Registry, please call 811.

How can I remove my name from the Registry?
If you have found a primary care provider, please let us know by clicking on the Remove button below or call 811, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Where can I access primary healthcare while waiting to be attached to a primary care provider?
To learn more about healthcare services that are available to you, download the YourHealthNS app. YourHealthNS is a new app that helps you navigate health information, book services and discover care options, easier and faster than ever before, right from your phone or computer. You can download the YourHealthNS app through the Apple Store or Google Store.

For more information about health care services in your area, please visit: https://www.nshealth.ca/wheretogoforhealthcare

For additional information, please see the question in the FAQ below.

I have additional questions about the Need a Family Practice Registry.
Please see the additional questions and answers below, or call 811, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

reCAPTCHA verification is required to proceed on this website. Click the checkbox to get a verification challenge. Verification challenges are random and may require several challenge attempts before verification is complete.

Call 811 to speak to someone if:

  • You prefer to register by phone rather than online
  • You are new to Nova Scotia and do not have a Nova Scotia Health Card

811 Staff are available Monday through Friday, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

There are many options for accessing primary healthcare while you are on the Registry:

  • VirtualCareNS: Provides virtual primary healthcare access to Nova Scotians with mild health concerns. For individuals on the Need a Family Practice Registry, this includes access to a provider who can prescribe medications, order tests, and refer you to specialists and in-person care. To learn more and register, visit virtualcarens.ca. Please note that if you have not yet received your Nova Scotia health card, you are not eligible to use VirtualCareNS. If you have questions about your Nova Scotia health card, please contact MSI at 1-800-563-8880.
  • Primary Care Clinics: Provide in-person primary healthcare for people on the Need a Family Practice Registry with mild health concerns. For more information, please click here.
  • Mobile Primary Care Clinics: Provide in-person primary healthcare to all Nova Scotians with mild health concerns. For more information, please click here.
  • Urgent Treatment Centres: Provide care to any Nova Scotian with unexpected but non-life-threatening health concerns. For more information, please click here.
  • Community Pharmacy Primary Care Clinics: Provide non-emergency primary healthcare from a pharmacist to individuals with a valid Nova Scotia health card, including assessment and prescribing for strep throat (over age 3), pink eye, UTIs, chronic disease management, (diabetes, asthma, COPD), prescription renewals for all medications, and more. For more information, please click here.
  • Pharmacy Walk In Clinics+: Provide non-emergency primary health care from a pharmacist and/or nurse practitioner, including ordering and reviewing blood work, diagnosing and treating routine and immediate health concerns (e.g. urinary tract infections, Lyme prevention, contraception, shingles), prescribe, renew, manage and modify medications, chronic disease management (diabetes, cardiovascular and lung diseases), mental health support, and more. For more information, click here.
  • Community Pharmacies: Your local pharmacy can renew some prescriptions, assess, and prescribe for some minor ailments, and assist with other basic health concerns. To find a pharmacy near you, please click here.
  • 811: Speak with a registered nurse for health care advice, 24 hours a day.
  • YourHealthNS: To learn more about healthcare services that are available to you, download the YourHealthNS app. YourHealthNS is a new app that helps you navigate health information, book services and discover care options, easier and faster than ever before, right from your phone or computer. You can download the YourHealthNS app through the Apple Store, Google Store, or by visiting yourhealthns.ca.

For more information about the health care services available in your area, please visit: https://www.nshealth.ca/wheretogoforhealthcare.

For information about VirtualCareNS and how to register, please visit virtualcarens.ca.

You can sign up family members either by clicking the Register button on this page or by calling 811. Please have their information ready so you can complete the application on their behalf.

When Nova Scotia Health is contacted by a primary care practice that is accepting new patients, we send them the list of people on the Registry for that community. The practice will accept new patients from the Registry based on their capacity at that time.

Therefore, we are unfortunately unable to confirm where you are on the Registry, nor when you will find a primary care provider.

To improve access to care, Nova Scotia Health is continually working to recruit family doctors and other health care professionals. We are also working to create more and strengthen existing collaborative family practice teams to enhance access to primary healthcare for Nova Scotians.

Nova Scotia Health encourages clinics to contact us when they are able to accept new patients. Primary care providers are independent health care providers who determine how and when they accept new patients into their practice. This can be from the registry, or another method that works best for their practice (e.g. their own wait list, advertisements, family members of existing patients, etc.).

Our immediate focus is helping those Nova Scotians without a primary care provider (family doctor or nurse practitioner) to get access to primary healthcare. Given the high demand for this service, we are asking that people only add their name to the Registry if they do not have a primary care provider or their provider is retiring or closing their practice in the near future.

Yes. If you are unable to access your primary care provider because you have moved, please register online, or by calling 811.

Yes. You can start your registration by calling 811. Your registration is not complete until a Nova Scotia health card number is obtained from MSI. Once you receive your health card number from MSI, please call 811 again to complete your registration for a family practice.

Please note that if you have not yet received your Nova Scotia health card, you are not eligible to use VirtualCareNS. If you have questions about your Nova Scotia health card, please contact MSI at 1-800-563-8880.

No, we are unable to offer registration in multiple communities. You can add your name to the registry using any one address (such as your home or workplace), depending on which location may be more convenient for accessing a family practice (e.g. when you work in one community and live in another).

Public Health offers various immunization services across Nova Scotia for those who are not able to access them through a family practice. You will need to call your local Public Health office to register for immunization services. Once you are assisted with finding a family practice, you can provide your personal immunization record (yellow card) to your provider to ensure they have your full immunization history.

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced knowledge and education in primary health care. A nurse practitioner can diagnose and treat health issues, order and interpret medical tests, prescribe medications, perform exams and procedures, provide health screening clinics, teach patients how to manage ongoing health conditions and offer healthy lifestyle education, and refer patients to a specialist or other health care provider. Click here for more information

VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION

Your participation in the Need a Family Practice registry is voluntary.

PRIVACY

The personal health information you voluntarily provide in the health questionnaire is collected, used and shared to help find you a family practice and to identify services that best match your needs. We follow Nova Scotia’s Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) to ensure your personal health information is protected. Any personal health information you provide through this site will be handled and stored securely to protect it from unauthorized access or disclosure. If you have any questions about how we manage your personal health information, please see our Nova Scotia Health Privacy Statement.

MONTHLY REPORTING

Monthly Reporting on Finding a Primary Care Provider in Nova Scotia .