Transition to family health teams improves access to primary care, says Horizon, Vitalité
CBC
New Brunswick's two regional health authorities say the transition of primary care to family health teams has opened up access for tens of thousands of doctorless patients, with more to come.
Horizon and Vitalité have also set ambitious targets for how quickly patients can get an appointment, and have already seen improvements, according to the latest quarterly data, which covers April through June.
It comes amid a new survey from the New Brunswick Health Council that shows 77 per cent of people had a permanent primary care provider last year.
That's down two per cent from the previous year, but it's the first time in years there hasn't been a sharp decrease, according to council CEO Stéphane Robichaud. He believes the province's shift to collaborative care clinics could be slowing the decline.
Meanwhile, timely access remains a problem, according to the survey, with only one in three patients able to get an appointment with their primary care provider within five days — unchanged from 2022.
Horizon has added four of the multidisciplinary teams in Fredericton North, Tantramar, Carleton North, and Miramichi since it launched its "transformative" primary care strategy in April, said president and CEO Margaret Melanson.
These teams have taken on 4,400 patients who were registered with N.B. Health Link as not having a primary care provider, she said. This is in addition to the existing patients of the team members.
Five more teams, consisting of physicians, nurse practitioners, and other professionals such as dietitians and social workers, are planned for this year, taking on another roughly 5,600 unattached patients, Melanson said.
The number and types of health professionals within each team will depend on the size and the needs of the community it serves.
Horizon is also "bolstering" 46 existing community health centres to deliver collaborative team-based care.
"Ultimately, this strategy will ensure every patient within the Horizon geographic area is attached to a family health team by 2029," Melanson said at Horizon's annual general meeting Tuesday.
She could not immediately estimate how many more teams will be required, citing the growing population.
But the transition to the family health team-model will be Horizon's "prime focus" in the year ahead, said board chair Susan Harley.
It will ensure New Brunswickers receive the "right care, from the right practitioner, at the right time."
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