AFHTO and the Primary Health Care Branch postponed their quarterly meeting for the fall. It will be held on September 26th. AFHTO Leadership Council met on September 8th, and below are highlights from that meeting and updates on work that is underway.
Market Salary Review:
- AFHTO updated the council on the ongoing Market Salary Review project, which is being led by the Eckler group. This project holds a high priority for AFHTO, and the report is slated for release at the end of September, a development that will greatly aid in fall budget planning.
- The primary goal of this report is to shed light on the disparities in remuneration among professionals in both the community and acute health care sectors. AFHTO anticipates that this report will be shared with the Ministry, our membership, our partners, and the wider public, with the hope of sparking positive change.
- Regarding the OHA’s involvement, there were negotiations that took place to obtain the necessary data at a reasonable cost. This collaborative effort has enabled AFHTO to commence the research without incurring excessive fees.
Family Health Team (FHT) Contracts:
- As the transition of FHT contracts approaches on October 1st, AFHTO hosted a webinar in the spring featuring both Ontario Health (OH) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).
- AFHTO gathered valuable feedback and questions from our membership’s EDs, Admin Leads, and Board Chairs to relay to OH.
- A prominent concern raised in the survey centered around warm handoff meetings, with varying practices observed across different teams. To address concerns raised, OH is preparing a communication to ensure clarity and comfort with the transition. This will address the process for warm handoff meetings due to their regional variability.
- AFHTO and OH will be hosting another webinar which is scheduled for the end of September to address any remaining questions. Dates will be confirmed in the coming days.
Vaccine Expansion Survey
- AFHTO had distributed (to EDs and physician leads) a survey recently regarding vaccine expansion to try and understand the feelings around the four bundles that were presented for potential pharmacy expansion.
- The results indicated that while bundle one (childhood and well-baby bundle) was not recommended for expansion, bundles two, three, and four may be suitable at a later point (but not at present). Concerns and findings have been shared with the Ministry of Health, particularly focusing on system cost, tracking, and effective/efficient communication between pharmacies and primary care.
EOI Feedback Letter in collab with OPCC
- AFHTO gave a brief update on the discussions held during the OPCC monthly meetings regarding a feedback letter to the MOH on the EOI application process. This letter speaks to the challenges faced by teams, particularly in areas of leadership and HHR, during the application process.
- This letter requests clear guidance for future funding calls, including timelines and data requirements for new programs versus expansions.
- Additionally, AFHTO had advocated for a thematic summary of the ideas within EOI applications to ensure innovative concepts are recognized, regardless of application success.
- Recognizing the competitive nature of applications, AFHTO recommended assessments based on regional and provincial directives to address specific needs. AFHTO expects to hear from the MOH on these matters in the coming weeks.