Auditor general finds gaps in planning and oversight of collaborative care clinics

Auditor general finds gaps in planning and oversight of collaborative care clinics

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The Department of Health cannot demonstrate that collaborative care clinics are improving access to primary care where it is needed most, according to an audit by auditor general Paul Martin. 

The audit examined the 14 collaborative care clinics announced between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026. It found that clinic expansion was not guided by a documented provincial assessment of community need, and that gaps in cost analysis, performance monitoring and patient attachment data limited the department’s ability to assess results.

Martin found that the full costs or long-term affordability of the model had not been assessed, performance targets were not applied consistently, and the reported numbers of newly attached patients to the clinics could not be reliably demonstrated.

The department could not determine whether new collaborative care clinics had removed patients from the provincial wait-list, and Martin reported that the wait-list data was inaccurate and unreliable.

“The department has reported progress, but incomplete and inaccurate information makes it difficult to determine the model’s actual impact,” said Martin. “Stronger monitoring and accurate public reporting are essential as additional resources are committed.”

The auditor general made recommendations to improve the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of collaborative care clinics.