Nova Scotia Public Health Standards Survey

The Public Health Standards Survey is now closed.

There were 126 total submissions; 121 individual respondents; 5 team responses with representation from all NSH Zones, NSH provincial team (SSP/SPP) and DHW Public Health Branch and across all program areas.

The project team is now analyzing the responses and will present the themes and recommendations based on respondents’ feedback to Public Health Steering Committee in early 2026.

Thank you to all respondents for taking the time to complete the survey. Your input is invaluable to inform the revised Standards.

About the Standards:

The Standards are for the public health system – DHW Public Health Branch (DHW) and NSH Public Health (NSH PH). Standards set direction on what the Public Health system is accountable for, lay out the minimum expectations and requirements for the system, and outline the roles of DHW and NSH at a high level. Standards establish requirements for an effective and equitable public health system to prevent, protect and promote health in Nova Scotia.

Standards do not describe specific program processes or daily operations - that happens in guidelines, standard operating procedures, clinical practice guidelines etc., which are not the focus of this survey. Standards also do not go into great detail about expectations and direction - some of that can be captured in the Public Health Protocols which will be updated in a future phase.

Background on the Public Health Standards Update Project:

A project team at DHW is collecting and analyzing information to revise the Standards and will bring recommendations to Public Health Steering Committee (PHSC) this fall. So far the teams has completed:

• a jurisdictional scan of Standards in other provinces and territories
• reviewed other guiding Public Health documents used in the Nova Scotia system
• completed interviews and focus groups with leadership teams across NSH PH and DHW PH

PHSC has already approved an updated structure for the new Standards. The new revised Standards will modernize and reorganize the content in the 2011 Standards to better align with the Core Functions for Public Health and include a:

• Public Health Surveillance & Population Health Assessment Standard:
  Description: Collecting health data to track diseases, the health status of populations, and determinants of health trends to promote health, prevent and reduce the impact of disease, and monitor health inequities. Understanding the health of communities, specific populations, and the determinants of health to create better services, policies, and research to identify the most effective interventions
• Health Protection Standard:
  Description: Protecting the population from infectious disease, environmental threats, and unsafe water, air, and food
• Public Health Emergency Preparedness Standard:
  Description: Planning for natural or human-made disasters to minimize serious illness and death, and responding to emergencies while minimizing societal disruption
  
• Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Standard:
  Description: Promoting safe and healthy environments and addressing modifiable risk and protective conditions to prevent non-communicable disease, illness and injury
• Health Promotion Standard:
  Description: Working collaboratively with communities and other sectors to understand and improve health through healthy public policy, community-based interventions, public participation, and advocacy or action on determinants of health