The current shortage of family doctors is one of the most important challenges in healthcare. It is estimated that 2.2 million people in Ontario do not have a family doctor and another 1.7 million have a family doctor over the age of 65.

A comprehensive program of primary care support and expansion now under way in the Durham Region is demonstrating promising results and may serve as a useful example for all regions tackling this critical challenge.

The program is led by Lakeridge Health and is part of a broader strategy of health system integration. Lakeridge Health is one of Ontario’s largest and most diverse health systems. It incorporates Durham Region’s five major hospitals, a long-term care home, one of the province’s largest mental health providers and a range of specialized medical clinics.

This established base of integrated healthcare services provides the foundation for building a regional system of essential primary care support, resources and networking capabilities. 

Several interrelated primary care initiatives are either already in place or in progress:

• Close collaboration with the Durham Ontario Health Team is helping to build and expand partnerships in the primary care, public health, paramedicine, long-term care and community care sectors, along with allied services such as pharmacists.
• A system of regular multi-media communications directs primary and community care providers to available supports and patients to appropriate care. 
• The development of a regional family healthcare network – fully connected to acute and community care services – is in progress. The network will include new primary care services, as well as strengthened partnerships with existing clinics.
• The electronic medical record currently used by all hospitals will be offered to all primary care settings to create a fully integrated digital health system, a first for Ontario.
• A Department of Family and Community Medicine has been established at Lakeridge Health to coordinate the development of the regional primary care network. 
• An innovative primary care training and education partnership – the first of its kind in Canada – has been established with Queen’s University School of Medicine. This program identifies individuals who are interested in family practice at the beginning of their medical education and provides a direct pathway into primary care practice, including exposure to the full range of community-based healthcare professionals in a highly supportive team-based practice environment. 
• The Lakeridge Health Education and Research Network Centre – an existing education and research facility – will evolve into a satellite campus to support the new medical education partnership.

Together, these initiatives are strengthening efforts to recruit family physicians and other primary care providers. They respond directly to growing demands for collaborative, team-based workplaces with streamlined connections to the full range of specialists and allied services – workplaces that enable providers to have balance and flexibility, stable incomes and the ability to focus on patient care.

The strategy under way in the Durham Region will, over time, increase regional primary care capacity and improve access for all, including currently underserved populations. It will improve patient experience through simplified referrals, seamless transitions between providers, high-quality care and easier navigation throughout their healthcare journey.

For additional details and information please read:

Longwoods Blog

The Systems Approach to Primary Care: Durham Region’s Comprehensive Strategy for Solving the Current Shortage of Family Doctors

By: Cynthia Davis, President and CEO, Lakeridge Health

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