Spring Highlights 2023: Ministry of Health (MOH) Quarterly Meeting and AFHTO Leadership Council

AFHTO met with the Primary Health Care Branch on May 25th for a quarterly check in and with the AFHTO Leadership Council on June 8th. Below are highlights from those meetings and updates on work that is underway.

Expression of Interest (EOI):

• EOI applications are due June 16th, 2023, by 5pm Eastern. AFHTO continues to support its members by providing guidance and offering to review specific applications when requested.
• AFHTO is using INSPIRE-PHC data to better understand the highest-need geographies, to support advocacy around future investment. Decisions on successful EOI applications are expected by MOH/OH in Fall 2023.
• PHC advised that this funding opportunity is important, as it will help MOH and OH identify sector-wide needs in primary care and form the basis for future advocacy efforts.

Market Salary Review:

• The market salary review survey closed on May 26th, 2023. AFHTO members had an excellent participation rate, with 42% of members responding to the survey. Eckler, a third-party consultant, is currently analyzing the results and will be sharing a draft report with AFHTO in Summer 2023.
• AFHTO reaffirmed its commitment to share the market salary review report with MOH when it is completed. We understand the significant recruitment and retention issues being faced by the sector and this data will be central to our call on government for wage parity.  

Data Sharing:

• PHC offered to support AFHTO’s work on health human resources (HHR) advocacy with data support related to provincial vacancy rates. The PHC branch also offered to provide AFHTO with aggregate year-end spending reports.  

Family Health Team (FHT) Contracts:

• Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (NPLC) contracts officially transitioned to OH on April 1st, 2023. AFHTO is meeting regularly with OH/MOH to provide feedback on this transition.
• Any future move of FHT contracts from the ministry to OH will also involve a warm handoff with supportive resources, and MOH is expected to continue to play an important role if/when FHT contracts move to OH. We’ll update members as information becomes available.

Mental Health and Addictions (MHA) Funding Evaluation:

• Over 155 AFHTO members completed the recent survey aimed at evaluating one-time MHA funding. Colliers Project Leaders, a third-party consultant, is currently analyzing the results and will be sharing a draft report with AFHTO by the end of June. AFHTO success stories will be highlighted in the evaluation report.
• The timing of this report is well aligned with the provincial budget cycle and will be used to advocate for ongoing sustainable funding.

OH Updates:

• Zahra Ismail, Senior Director of Primary Care and Social Determinants at OH was invited to AFHTO’s Leadership Council meeting for a presentation and roundtable discussion.
• Zahra highlighted OH’s priorities of connecting primary care with Ontario Health Teams (OHTs), developing Primary Care Networks (PCNs), and expanding and enhancing access to interprofessional primary care teams.  

Interprofessional Health Providers (IHP) Roles and Responsibilities Report:

• Updated information on the roles and responsibilities of various IHPs has been received by AFHTO, and the first edition of the IHP roles and responsibilities report has been distributed to members.
• AFHTO will be conducting a webinar series beginning this summer to help orient members to the report. AFHTO continues to consult with IHPs on the first edition of the report and will aim to update the report in Fall 2023. Future updates to the report will be vetted by the IHP council and the release schedule will be informed by the magnitude of slated changes (target of every 1-2 years).  

Ontario Medical Association (OMA) Physician Service Agreement (PSA) Submission:

• AFHTO had the opportunity to engage in consultation and dialogue with some of our physician leaders to identify priority areas for the OMA’s upcoming PSA negotiations. The priority areas identified by physician leaders were: 1) Stabilize the family physician workforce, 2) Reduce the administrative burden, and 3) Increase access to team-based care. AFHTO submitted its formal response to the OMA on behalf of its members on May 24th, 2023, with a wider release dated June 12th, 2023.

AFHTO Call for New Board Members:

• AFHTO will have six vacant spots on its board this year. A call for new board members was sent out to all AFHTO members on May 18th, 2023, with a reminder sent on May 30th, 2023.
• AFHTO encourages its members to identify those who may be interested in applying and direct them to apply. Additional reminders will be sent out in mid-June and early-July, and nominations will close on July 28th, 2023.  Visit AFHTO’s website for more information.

AFHTO Conference:

• AFHTO’s conference will be on October 25th, 2023, with pre-conference sessions on October 24th, 2023. The theme this year is, “Team-Based Care, Making It a Reality For All.”
• AFHTO members are encouraged to submit their nominations to Bright Lights (to be launched shortly).  Additional details can be found here.