Health Quality and Patient Safety Act amendments introduced

Release

Department of Health

May 05, 2026

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Legislation has been introduced that, if passed, would aim to improve patient safety and quality of care across New Brunswick’s health system.

“Patient safety is not the responsibility of any one individual or organization,” said Health Minister John Dornan. “It is a reflection of how the entire system works together. These amendments will help ensure we learn from patient safety incidents, share that knowledge, and take action to prevent them from happening again.”

Dornan has introduced An Act Respecting Health Quality and Patient Safety. It would build upon the Health Quality and Patient Safety Act, which is a framework for reviewing and learning from patient safety incidents in the health system.

The proposed changes aim to improve how such incidents are reviewed, shared and used to support system-wide learning. They are also designed to strengthen collaboration among health-care organizations, improve consistency in how incidents are assessed, and enhance transparency for patients and families.

Key elements of the legislation include:

• Clearer definitions for patient safety incidents.

• Improved processes for reviewing serious incidents.

• Expanded opportunities for joint reviews between health-care organizations.

• Enhanced use of data to identify trends and guide improvements.

The amendments would also formally establish a provincial advisory committee on quality of care and patient safety.

“By strengthening how we learn across the system and ensuring information is shared more effectively, we are building a health system that continuously improves and delivers safer care for patients and families,” said Dornan.

05-05-26

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