Completed

Way Forward Commitment:

In 2017, our Government will expand the number of primary health care teams throughout the province to provide timely access to primary health care supports for individuals to help them achieve optimal health and well-being. We will work with communities and health care providers to expand inter-disciplinary teams to ensure more individuals can access an appropriate primary health care provider within their region and close to their communities. Our Government will establish these health care teams in Corner Brook and on the Burin Peninsula and identify additional sites across the province. We will work with other communities and the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) to identify additional opportunities to expand the use of primary health care teams throughout the province.

In 2017, our Government will work with RHAs and communities to identify sites for inter-disciplinary health care teams to be implemented, using an evidence-based approach. Also in 2017, our Government, as part of the Family Practice Renewal Program, in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, will introduce new fee codes and supports to enable increased coordination and collaboration between family physicians and other health care providers.

What We’ve Accomplished:

• The Department of Health and Community Services (HCS) is supporting work to strengthen the province’s first collaborative primary health care teams on the Burin Peninsula, Bonavista, Botwood, and downtown St. John’s. HCS have also initiated work to develop an additional nine collaborative primary health care teams in areas including Corner Brook, Happy Valley-Goose Bay and surrounding areas, Stephenville, Gander, and the Connaigre Peninsula. The work initiated by teams in several of these sites has already produced positive outcomes. For example:
  • In Corner Brook, a new interdisciplinary clinic is being established to serve patients without access to a family physician. A new physician is expected to be in place in May 2018 and a prevention practitioner has been trained to provide chronic disease screening and management services.
  • In Bonavista, diabetes management has improved, inappropriate use of the Emergency Department has been reduced and overall access to primary health care has been strengthened in collaboration with the Community Advisory Committee;
  • On the Burin Peninsula, wait times for mental health and addictions services have been eliminated and/or significantly reduced, access to same day services has improved for those requiring immediate attention, a new single session mental health counseling service has been established, and a new suicide prevention program has been introduced; and
  • Botwood is the first site in the province to provide same day access to mental health counselors via telehealth. This model improves the efficiency of offering on demand services in rural communities with limited capacity/demand.
• To advance the provincial government’s primary health care agenda, two new physician fee codes are being implemented in Spring 2018. As referenced in the current MOU with NL Medical Association (NLMA), these include a telephone management code and a collaborative care code. The MOU also established the Family Practice Renewal Program to focus on team-based care in family practice. Additionally, HCS is working on the development of a Family Practice Nursing Program to support the integration of more Registered Nurses into Family Practice.