B.C. connecting thousands of people to family doctors quicker than ever
More than 248,000 people have been connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since the Health Connect Registry launched provincewide in July 2023.
Hundreds more people are getting matched every day. In total, more than 570,000 people have been connected to a family doctor or nurse practitioner since the launch of the primary-care strategy in 2018.
B.C. has also added 835 new primary-care family doctors who are taking on patients since launching its new physician pay model in February 2023, all part of strong actions to recruit thousands of health-care workers and connect people to the care they need.
“We want B.C. to be a place where health care is always there for you, which is why we’re taking action to hire more family doctors and health professionals than ever before,” said Premier David Eby. “We’re starting to see some good results, but there’s a lot more we need to do. We can’t afford to slash health-care budgets when we need to be hiring even more doctors and nurses so B.C. families get the care they need when they need it.”
The pace of matches through the Health Connect Registry is accelerating following improvements implemented in April 2024. At this time, around 4,000 people per week are connected to a family doctor, which is up from 2,700 per week at the same time last year, a 52% increase. It is expected that about 160,000 more people will be matched in the next six months.
“To meet growing demand for health-care services driven by B.C.’s aging and growing population, as well as a global shortage of care providers, we are investing in a multi-front approach that supports the people who need care and the health-care providers who offer it,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “With the work we’re doing, more of our neighbours and loved ones are getting high-quality care that’s closer to home.”
The Province continues to look for new ways to support the recruitment and retention of health professionals. In partnership with Fraser Health Authority, the Province has also identified a new BC Builds site in Surrey to deliver rental homes prioritized for nurses and health-care workers and their families. The site is near the second hospital being built in Surrey and will allow workers to live close to where they work.
“Delivering homes for the people who provide the services we rely on and drive our economy forward is why we launched BC Builds,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. “Through this BC Builds initiative, we will be able to build first-of-its-kind housing to help health-care workers and their families find homes they can afford, and help people get the health care they need.”
These homes are part of a $19-billion housing investment by the B.C. government. Since 2017, the Province has more than 84,000 homes that have been delivered or are underway for people in B.C., including nearly 1,900 in Surrey.
Increasing access to primary care for people in the province is part of the primary-care strategy launched in 2018. Recruiting, retaining and training more health-care workers is part of B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy launched in 2022.
Quotes:
Dr. Ahmer Karimuddin, president, Doctors of BC –
“Increasing access to family doctors for thousands of British Columbians will drive better health outcomes. Improving our primary-care system through strategies like the Health Connect Registry and the longitudinal family physician (LFP) payment model for community-based and facility-based care help to ensure that patients can receive timely and consistent care. These are significant steps toward healthier communities for everyone.”
Scott Wheatley, executive director, Cloverdale District Chamber of Commerce –
“The positive impact of new homes next to the hospital on the business community cannot be overstated. By offering new residents the opportunity to establish roots and live, work and play locally, this project will help Cloverdale thrive. With Surrey’s rapidly growing population, this development is a win all around.”
Quick Facts:
- B.C. is also doing more to attract and train health professionals and making it quicker and easier to get international credentials recognized.
- Since January 2023, 1,355 internationally educated doctors and 1,319 internationally educated nurses have received full or provisional registration.
Learn More:
To learn more about B.C.’s actions to strengthen health care, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/health-care/
To read about B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/BCHealthHumanResourcesStrategy-Sept2022.pdf
To learn about the Province’s primary-care strategy, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/bcs-primary-care-system
To sign up to be matched with a family doctor or nurse practitioner on the Health Connect Registry, visit: https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry
To learn more about B.C.’s actions to deliver more homes for people, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/Housing
To learn more about the BC Builds program, visit: https://bcbuildshomes.ca
Two backgrounders follow.