NLIS 4
January 23, 2002
(Health and Community Services)

 

Minister releases report of Primary Care Advisory Committee

Julie Bettney, Minister of Health and Community Services, and Kathy LeGrow, chair of the Primary Care Advisory Committee, today released the final report of the committee which was established in September 2001 to advise the minister as to how family physicians can be fully integrated into a primary health care model.

Government has heard from the people of this province, physicians, and the regional health boards that there are a number of challenges within the existing structure of how health services are delivered in Newfoundland and Labrador. Among those concerns are:

  • Inability to find a family physician;
  • Lack of continuity of care due to a high turnover of physicians;
  • Inappropriate use of emergency rooms;
  • Unavailability of 24 hours a day/7 days a week health services;
  • Disconnect between family physicians and regional health facilities.

The report, The Family Physician's Role in a Continuum of Care Framework for Newfoundland and Labrador: A Framework for Primary Care Renewal, consists of 14 recommendations designed to address the barriers to family physicians becoming part of a new approach to primary health care. It also provides direction to government as to how primary health care can be delivered more appropriately to meet the needs of the population.

"The first point of contact for many people when they are in need of health services is the family physician," said Minister Bettney. "What we would like to see for the health system is to have teams of health professionals, all working together to provide a seamless continuum of care for the people of this province."

The Primary Care Advisory Committee brought together various stakeholders from all corners of the province representing different interests in the health care field. These included physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, consumers and health administrators.

"The committee members identified the issues they felt were critical in order to bring about primary care renewal in this province," said Ms. LeGrow. "The report's recommendations represent our consensus as to how family physicians can be integrated into a new primary health care framework."

The key emphasis of the recommendations of the report is based on the following :

  • There should be provincial standards of reasonable access which would guarantee all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have access to the primary health care services they need from the most appropriate health care provider regardless of geographical location;
  • Primary health care services should be integrated and provided by teams of health providers at the community or regional level. Within these teams, health professionals will work at the top of their respective skill set to ensure seamless care provision;
  • Physicians will have formal agreements with regional health boards to guarantee the delivery of a specific basket of services to the region including the provision of physician services to hospitals. The basket of health services should be determined by the health needs of the region; and,
  • Compensation arrangements should be developed for physicians which support the new approach to primary care, improve the retention of physicians and ensure a continuous upgrade of skills to better serve health needs of the population.

Minister Bettney said her department will now review the report and its recommendations to determine how it can be incorporated into the broad strategic health plan for the province.

"The report of the Primary Care Advisory Committee is one part of reforming our primary health care services," said the minister. "It will be considered along with various other reports and the results of our health forums in determining the direction for our strategic health plan."

Copies of the report and the executive summary can be accessed at the following web site: www.gov.nl.ca/publicat/.

Media contact:
           Carmel Turpin, Communications    (709) 729-1377
           Kathy LeGrow,                             (709) 682-6619

2002 01 23                          2:15 p.m. 


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