Emergencies

Emergency Mental Health cases are seen immediately. If you are facing a crisis, call the Mental Health Crisis Line at 1-888-429-8167, or call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

Mental Health & Addictions Adult Services

Service/Procedure Summary

Wait-times for Community Mental Health and Addictions
The Department of Health and Wellness, Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), and the IWK Health Centre are working together to improve access to mental health and addictions care and support for Nova Scotians. We are committed to having the right services, in the right place, at the right time, and delivered by the right provider for patients.

In 2018-19 we are standardizing the way we collect and report wait-times for Community Mental Health and Addictions clinic appointments. Wait time standards have been chosen and waits will be reported online by triage level.

A person’s triage level is determined by their condition as assessed by clinicians working in intake or referral. In providing care and treatment based on clinical assessment, people triaged as urgent receive care before people triaged as non-urgent.

  • Triage 1: Emergency, no wait--patients immediate access to care through emergency or crisis services
  • Triage 2: Urgent, target is within seven days
  • Triage 3: Non-Urgent, target is within 28 days
see more
Instructions - Instructional text.

Wait Times

Urgent

Facility 90% (Wait 1) 50% (Wait 1) 90% (Wait 2) 50% (Wait 2)
NSHA Northern Zone
6 days
1 day
8 days
4 days
NSHA Central Zone
6 days
3 days
7 days
5 days
NSHA Western Zone
6 days
4 days
---
---
NSHA Eastern Zone
7 days
6 days
7 days
0 days

Non-Urgent

Facility 90% (Wait 1) 50% (Wait 1) 90% (Wait 2) 50% (Wait 2)
Yarmouth Regional clinics
28 days
11 days
17 days
0 days
South Shore Regional clinics
20 days
12 days
22 days
0 days
Colchester Regional clinics
28 days
20 days
246 days
103 days
Valley Regional clinics
34 days
24 days
26 days
22 days
Cumberland County clinics
40 days
31 days
124 days
32 days
Spryfield clinic
117 days
39 days
28 days
13 days
NSHA Clinical Virtual Care Team
75 days
41 days
40 days
14 days
Aberdeen Regional clinics
82 days
44 days
70 days
16 days
Cole Harbour clinic
75 days
48 days
25 days
14 days
Rural Cape Breton clinics
104 days
54 days
34 days
23 days
Windsor clinic
160 days
76 days
28 days
13 days
Halifax - Bayers Road clinic
129 days
78 days
27 days
14 days
Dartmouth - Portland Street clinic
123 days
84 days
28 days
15 days
Guysborough Antigonish clinics
156 days
93 days
28 days
7 days
Lower Sackville clinic
139 days
114 days
25 days
12 days
Cape Breton Regional Municipality
153 days
118 days
34 days
14 days

Reduce your wait time

Not all wait times are the same, and you may reduce your wait time for health care services. Explore options and talk to your doctor or nurse practitioner.

Talk to your primary care provider

Wait time information can help you and your primary care provider make informed decisions. Find wait times and share the numbers with your healthcare provider.