Resources — Primary Care Crisis 2023

Recent publications, reports, and related resources

Go to province and territory specific resources

Commentary: Our role in making the Canadian health care system one of the world’s best

Dr. Rick Glazier

Commentary: Keeping the front door open: ensuring access to primary care for all in Canada

Dr. Tara Kiran

Publication: Primary Care for Everyone: An Urgent To-Do List for Reform

Dr. Danielle Martin, Dr. Bob Bell, Georgina Black, Jodi Butts, Beth Cowper-Fung, Dr. Vivek Goel, Dr. Alika Lafontaine, David MacNaughton, Dr. Kwame McKenzie, Dr. Jane Philpott, Jake Starratt-Farr & Dr. Verna Yiu

Publication: Transforming the Foundation of Canada’s Health Care System: Solutions to bolster primary care

The College of Family Physicians of Canada

Publication: Brief on Primary Care Part 3: Lessons Learned for Strengthened Primary Care in the Next Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Noah Ivers, Sarah Newbery, Azza Eissa, Imaan Bayoumi, Tara Kiran, Andrew Pinto, Jennifer Rayner, Michael Green, Elizabeth Muggah, Susan Beazley, Victoria Haldane, Dee Mangin, Liisa Jaakkimainen, Kamila Premji, Allan K. Grill, Onil Bhattacharyya, Beth Cowper-Fung, Nicolas S. Bodmer, Anna Perkhun, David Kaplan, Francine Lemire, Steve Nastos, Dominik A. Nowak, Robert Reid, David Price, Angela Robertson, Janet Smylie, James Wright, Karen B. Born, Richard H. Glazier, Fahad A. Razak, Danielle Martin on behalf of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table

Publication: Disparities in access to primary care are growing wider in Canada

M. Ruth Lavergne, Aidan Bodner, Sarah Spencer

Publication: Canada’s primary care crisis: Federal government response

Colleen M. Flood, Bryan Thomas, Ella McGibbon

Publication: OurCare Priorities Panel reports

OurCare

Survey Data Explorer and National Survey: More than 9,000 survey respondents have shared their perspectives, aspirations, and priorities for Canadian primary care. The survey included questions about timeliness and proximity to primary care, relationships with caregivers, willingness to receive care from a team, and more.
Priorities Panel Reports: Priorities Panels in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Manitoba will take place between February and October 2023. Each panel is made up of 36 residents who together represent the demographics of the province. These volunteers will spend between 30-40 hours learning about their primary care system, considering different approaches and preparing their own recommendations for reform.

Province and Territory-Specific Resources

Examples of policy solutions proposed in each province/territory such as recommendations and reports from family physician or nurse practitioner groups, Ministry of Health plans, policy and research group proposals, public recommendations, relevant news articles etc.

At this time, resources have been compiled for the provinces and territories attending this meeting in person.

1. Modernizing Alberta's Primary health care System (the MAPS initiative), which includes embedded links to final reports of the Strategic Advisory Panel and the Indigenous Advisory Panel
2. Reimagining Primary care in Alberta in 2023, an issue brief series by the University of Calgary Centre for Health Policy
3. Strengthening health care: improving access for all by the Government of Alberta
4. News article - Alberta aims to launch new nurse practitioner pay model in early 2024
1. News release from Office of the Premier from 2018 when they first announced the new primary health-care strategy
2. Recent resolutions for improving the Primary Care Network (PCN) model, which was created as part of the strategy in 2018
3. A study published in 2021 regarding family physicians' priorities for structural reform and how they align with the province's ongoing strategies
4. Information on advocacy for a new payment model option, by Doctors of BC (voluntary association of more than 16,000 physicians, residents and medical students in British Columbia)
5. Importance of community health centers in primary care reform in BC, a report on lessons and challenges
6. Supporting implementation of team-based primary care in BC with nurse practitioners
7. OurCare Priorities Panel on Primary Care - British Columbia provincial summary of public recommendations
1. Prescription for Health Care by Doctors Manitoba and related news article
2. Manitoba’s Clinical and Preventive Services Plan by Shared Health and related news release
3. Study on Primary care renewal strategies in Manitoba - Family physicians’ perceptions
1. Primary Health Care Framework for NL
2. Family Practice Renewal Program
3. Initiatives Aimed to Improve Primary Care Access in NL
4. Family Care Teams: A Health Policy Framework for Newfoundland and Labrador
5. Health Accord for Newfoundland & Labrador - impetus for the current significant transformation efforts (including Family Care Teams) currently underway in NL
6. Patient Connect NL - Health and Community Services - provincial registry for unattached patients
7. Health Care Action - publicly reports on Family Care Teams and Patient Connect and other actions
1. Fixing Nova Scotia’s Primary Health Care Problem: Physicians’ Recommendations to Improve Primary Care in Nova Scotia
2. Report on Optimizing Nursing and Primary Healthcare in Nova Scotia
3. News release from premiers office: Strategic Plan to Improve Healthcare in Nova Scotia
4. News article on plans for new and expanded health-care clinics
5. News article on Union report rallying cry for how nurses can help ease N.S. health-care woes
6. OurCare Priorities Panel on Primary Care - Nova Scotia provincial summary of public recommendations
1. Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ Solutions for Immediate Action (Ontario Medical Association)
2. Your Health - A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care (Government of Ontario) - Centered on Patient Experience
3. Solutions for Today: Ensuring Every Ontarian Has Access to a Family Physician (Ontario College of Family Physicians)
4. Enhancing Community Care for Ontarians 2020 (Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario)
5. Ontario Primary Care Council’s Framework for Primary Care 2016
6. A Healthy Ontario: Building a Sustainable Health Care System (Premier’s Council) 2019
7. Dr. Kamila Premji’s Martin Bass Lecture keynote at the 2023 Trillium Primary Health Care Research Day
8. OurCare Priorities Panel on Primary Care - Ontario provincial summary of public recommendations
9. Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario Resource Page
1. Health and social services system in brief (Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux)
2. Reports and publications from the Quebec College of Family Physicians
3. News article on Quebec Health Plan and Reforms
4. OurCare Priorities Panel on Primary Care - Quebec provincial summary of public recommendations
1. News release on how Government of Yukon increases access to primary healthcare providers
2. News release on Yukon Government and Yukon Medical Association’s 3-year deal to attract doctors
3. News release on Yukon doctor’s list of priorities ahead of territorial election

Recent publications, reports, and related resources

Commentary: Our role in making the Canadian health care system one of the world’s best

Commentary: Keeping the front door open: ensuring access to primary care for all in Canada

Publication: Primary Care for Everyone: An Urgent To-Do List for Reform

Publication: Transforming the Foundation of Canada’s Health Care System: Solutions to bolster primary care

Publication: Brief on Primary Care Part 3: Lessons Learned for Strengthened Primary Care in the Next Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Publication: Disparities in access to primary care are growing wider in Canada

Publication: Canada’s primary care crisis: Federal government response

Publication: OurCare Priorities Panel reports

Province and Territory-Specific Resources

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Quebec

Yukon