Ultimate Blogging Championship

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  • 2023 Compensation Market Refresh – Review Underway

    2023 Compensation Market Refresh – Review Underway

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    Market Salary Review Underway

    The Community Health Compensation Working Group – representing ten provincial associations – has retained Eckler Ltd. consulting services to conduct a community health market salary review for Ontario. The review will include interprofessional primary care, community support services, community mental health, and long-term care.

    The final report will give us greater insight into wage disparities for 78 positions across primary and community care sectors. It is estimated that this work will be completed in spring 2023, and final recommendations will be presented to the government to support discussions on reasonable and fair compensation.

    For additional information, please click here. We will keep you updated as the work progresses.

    If you have questions, please reach out to info@afhto.ca

     

  • Belleville NPLC provides care for unattached newborns

    In a June article ‘QHC honours Belleville nurse practitioner-led clinic, Gateway centre’ we learned Belleville “has also received funding to provide follow up care to QHC newborns during their first two months of life,” Kearns continued. That program has yet to be established fully, but the clinic has so far accepted more than 100 “unattached” babies via QHC. Many of their relatives also have no primary-care provider and have received care through the clinic.

    Now  we have an update.

    Community Newborn program

    The Community Newborn program is a pilot program with staff who started at the end of September.

    The purpose of the Community Newborn program is to provide follow up care to newborns who have no primary care provider in the community. Infants are seen by the program staff within 72 hours of discharge from the hospital. 

    The Community Newborn Program consists of a Nurse Practitioner-Paediatrics, a Registered Nurse, and an Admin Support who each work 20 hours per week. The NP and RN provide routine follow up care and non-emergent assessments for the infants up until 6 months of age. They also provide routine vaccinations for siblings of their infant patients who also do not have a primary care provider.

     
    The benefits of this program include:   

    • Consistent and reliable access to care for infants with no PCP
    • Improve patient experience.
    • Decrease ED visits for non-emergency reasons ensuring the right care is provided at the right time in the right location.
    • Reduce the risks of injury in the infancy period by providing the recommended anticipatory guidance regarding infant safety, vaccine schedule and care more than once.
    • Increased opportunity to identify risks and connect families with appropriate community resources to optimize health outcomes in both the short and long term.

    Funding is secured until the end of March 2023. They hope to get funding to continue the program.

  • Year-End Update to Executive Directors/Administrative Leads – December 2022

    Dear Executive Directors/Administrative Leads,

    With December now here, we would like to share updates on a few issues that are front of mind for many. We also met with the Primary Health Care Branch on December 1, and they provided some insight that we would like to share.

    Bill 124
    Bill 124, Protecting a Sustainable Public Sector for Future Generations Act, 2019 was declared “to be void and of no effect” by Justice Koehnen of the Ontario Superior Court on November 29. The court declared Bill 124 was unconstitutional and a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

    AFHTO, along with our health system partners, have been advocating to government to repeal this law since it was proclaimed in 2019, so we welcome this news. We hope it will start the pathway toward fair and equitable compensation for healthcare workers.

    The government plans to appeal the decision, but they have stated that they will not use the notwithstanding clause, so this appeal could take years to settle.

    What does this mean for primary care teams?
    Maria McDonald of McDonald HR Law sent a communique on November 30 that noted:
    As of November 29, 2022, Bill 124 is not an enforceable law. It is unknown what the government will do but an appeal could take years. It is highly unlikely government will make any revised law retroactive. As such, right now, Bill 124 (which does not exist because it is void and unenforceable) does not prevent granting bonuses.

    However, it’s important to note that there are clauses in your agreement that will direct how you can interpret this for your team. For FHTs, this is referenced in Clause 7.3:
    “All Funding shall be applied directly to the payment of Schedule “B” expenditures, and for no other purpose. The Recipient shall expend the Funding in each Funding Year only in accordance with the Annual Budget for each Funding Year. No changes to the approved items in Schedule “B” are permitted without the prior written consent of the Ministry, unless otherwise specified in this Agreement.”

    For NPLCs, refer to Clause 3.03:
    “All funding shall be applied directly to the payment of Schedule “A” and “A-Appendix 1” expenditures, and for no other purpose. No changes to any Schedules are permitted without the prior written consent of the Ministry as set out in section 2.09. Continued Funding under this Agreement is subject to Ministry review and approval of Approved Annual Operating Budgets and Banking and Payment Schedules and Service Requirements.”

    All other models, please reference your agreements for relevant clauses.

    In 2019, the Ministry provided some guidance on how best to interpret increases with staff. This guidance still applies:

    • If you increase salaries, ensure you have sustainable funding to maintain the increase as the Ministry will not be providing additional funding.
    • You cannot eliminate a position to accommodate for increases. During reconciliation, your budget will be ‘right-sized’ if you no longer need that position, and the funding will be taken back.
    • If performance-based merit pay is part of the organization’s compensation plan and fits within the HR budget, this would be allowable.
    • Vacant positions or underfilled FTE positions cannot be used to fund additional compensation for other positions. Funding needs to be allocated for all funded positions within the framework of the board’s compensation plan and policies.

    As we learn more about what is now allowable with the repealing of the Bill, we’ll share this information with you.

    A reminder that we are working on a compensation market refresh with our partners in interprofessional primary care, mental health and addiction, community care, and not-for-profit long-term care: Addiction and Mental Health Ontario, AdvantAge Ontario, Alliance for Healthier Communities, Canadian Mental Health Association (Ontario), Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Family Service Ontario, Indigenous Primary Health Care Council, Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic Association, and Ontario Community Support Association.

    This work will be the grounding for advocacy for sustainable increases in salaries. We’ll share more once the work is underway with our recently approved vendor.

    If teams have questions, please contact us any time.

    Mental Health and Addiction Funding

    Funding packages for the MHA one-time funding are still in approvals. Funding is expected to flow in January, and it will cover expenses from October 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.
    We know that this isn’t enough time to spend the funds. Planning is very important, so we encourage you consider the following given the tight time frame you will be working in:

    • Work with your fellow primary care teams to discuss pooling the funding to purchase MHA supports for teams, OHT, and/or unaffiliated physicians. We encourage you also work with other mental health organizations and providers, such as CMHA, AMHO organizations, and private psychologists regarding pooling or transferring funding.
    • Increase the FTE of your MHA staff or hire temporary staff to support the backlog of MHA in your team or in your community.

    We appreciate this is difficult without knowing the funding amount you’ll be receiving. However, we hope you can get a general plan in place with or without your partners as you await confirmation of the amount and flow of the funding.

    We’ll be in touch next year to ask about how funding was used as this will help the Ministry build a case for sustainable funding to embed much-needed MHA supports in primary care.

    Approval Process for Extra Costs Incurred During this Respiratory Season
    The Ministry memo from November 21 is still front of mind for many teams. A reminder that the memo, though not well communicated, was about communications to your patients and doing your best to support this respiratory illness surge.

    If your team is planning to increase capacity, we encourage you do your projections to year-end and assess your existing funding. If you still feel unable to fund the increased work you wish to do, please reach out to your program consultant to demonstrate this, and then begin discussion for funding support. If you have any issues, please outreach to us at any time.

    FHT Contract Recommendations
    Thank you to everyone who participated in AFHTO’s FHT contract recommendations. Your advice and suggestions were critical for us to develop a thoughtful set of recommendations for the Ministry.  
    The recommendations for modernizing the FHT contract, Schedule A, the governance attestation document, and the annual operating plan have been submitted. You can read more here. We expect to hear back soon on next steps.

    Budget Planning for FY 2023/2024
    Many of you have heard that CHCs were asked by Ontario Health to plan for a 2% increase in their base funding as part of their planning assumptions for the next year. OH has said that planning assumptions are not a confirmation of funding and should be used for planning purposes only.

    Funding comes from the Ministry, so there is no guarantee of an increase; however, AFHTO has strongly advocated that any increases to CHCs are given to all interprofessional team-based primary care models. We hope to hear soon about the budget approvals.

    TRIN funding
    FHTs and CHCs should have received their temporary retention incentive for nursing (TRIN) funding, and NPLCs were sent their approval letters on November 30 with anticipation of flow-through of funding in January.

    Nurses paid directly by physicians and specialists are still waiting on their incentive funding. These funds will start making their way to the privately funded nurses in the next few months. Any questions should be directed to pcoinquiries@ontario.ca.

    Procurement Activity Reporting
    The Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery has added large primary care teams to the list of funded organizations responsible for procurement activity reporting. This applies to teams that receive $10M or more in funding. These teams received an email from their senior program consultant notifying them that they now need to submit their procurement activities as a Broader Public Sector (BPS) accountability measure.

    If these teams have any questions about the initiative, please contact SCO.Reporting@ontario.ca who can provide you with access to your portal and answer your questions.

    We know 2022 has been another exhausting year and that you’re juggling so many priorities. As administrators, you are at the front lines, working to increase morale of your team members while ensuring exceptional care is being provided to your patients and communities. We hope you do not forget to take care of yourself and that you enjoy some much-deserved rest and time with your loved ones soon.

    We wish you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season. Thank you for everything you do.

    Yours in good health,

    Your AFHTO Team

  • FHT Contract Recommendations

    Team-based primary care must be the foundation of an integrated care system, and the FHT contract can provide the best direction for strong primary care teams that are the fundamental base of a strong healthcare system.

    In 2021, AFHTO began member and stakeholder consultations to develop recommendations for the next FHT contract. The current one is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2023.

    AFHTO began work with McMurchy Consulting and formed a contract working group of eight team executive directors in 2021. These EDs brought a strong variety of voices to the table. After extensive internal and stakeholder consultations, discussion groups were established in 2022 for what were determined as the three major areas of consultation: governance, accountability and performance, and FHT/physician affiliation. 

    Through this work, we developed our recommendations for modernizing the FHT contract, Schedule A, the governance attestation, and the annual operating plan. This was submitted to the ministry in November 2022. We will keep members apprised of progress on contract reform.

    Thank you to everyone who participated in AFHTO’s FHT contract work – our initial working group, the subsequent discussion groups, the AFHTO Leadership Council, physicians who joined physician consultations, and many stakeholders. Your advice and suggestions were critical for us to develop a thoughtful set of recommendations for the ministry.  

    The documents that the ministry has received are below. Please note these are all draft.

     

    FHT Contract Submission (all are draft):

    • Aspirations and Recommendations for the Contract Renewal Process
    • FHT Governance and Compliance Attestation
    • Governance Experience Matrix – Skills-based and Diverse Boards
    • FHT-Physician MOU 
    • Performance and Accountability – Framework
    • Performance and Accountability – Revised Schedule A and AOP

     

    These documents can be read here. 

  • Wawa physician ‘honoured’ to receive provincial recognition

    Sootoday Published an article on November 26, 2022

    By Alex Flood

    “I think this award is for my whole team, not just for me,” says Dr. Anjali Oberai, a family doctor at the Wawa Medical Centre who has been named the 2022 Ontario Family Physician of the Year by the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP).

    The award is the OCFP’s highest honour, presented annually to a family doctor who provides exceptional patient care while improving the health of communities and well-being of society.

    “It’s a huge honour to be given an award like this,” Oberai says. “But you can’t do good work if you don’t have a good team to work with, and I have a great team. This award is for all of us.”

    Oberai has provided comprehensive primary care for over 25 years in a variety of capacities like residents’ homes, her office, and the emergency room.

    She’s also an associate professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) and has been co-chair of Family Medicine since 2015.
    Oberai even works 24-hour shifts on a regular basis to ensure the ER in Wawa remains open.

    “After you’ve been around for a while, those shifts just become part of your work,” she says. “You don’t actually think about it that much. It’s just part of your job.”

    Oberai is just one of two physicians working at the medical centre in Wawa, and she’s the only one dedicated to on-call deliveries.

    She says they’ve been no stranger to the doctor shortage that’s impacted healthcare across the province.

    “Traditionally, we’ve been very lucky up here as we work in a team-based system,” she says. “But in the last few years, we’ve started to see some cracks, and COVID has added extra challenges. We remain hopeful that we will recruit, and I think NOSM has helped with that.”

    Oberai says her experience working with students through NOSM has been incredibly fulfilling and is a highlight of her career.

    “It’s a really rewarding part of my practice,” she says. “The creation of NOSM gave physicians like me and many others these great opportunities for teaching and leadership at the school. We have two medical students up here with us now. It keeps you sharp having learners with you.”

    “I remain hopeful that family medicine will once again be a top choice for people to come in from medical school,” she adds.

    The Ontario Family Physician of the Year award is peer-nominated, meaning Oberai’s colleagues, staff, and patients had written letters of support to the OCFP vouching for her to be recognized – leaving the family doctor nearly speechless.

    “I admire my peers and colleagues so much, so to be nominated by them just makes it extra special because I’m in awe of them,” she says. “For them to think of me, it’s really special.”

    Even after working as a physician for over 25 years, Oberai says she still finds a lot of joy in her career.

    “I think over time, it’s that relationship you develop with patients,” she says. “There’s so much variety in the work, and you know it’ll be different every day. I just feel so lucky that I chose this profession.”

  • Bits & Pieces: join the ED mentorship program and more

    Bits & Pieces: join the ED mentorship program and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Join AFHTO’s Executive Director Mentorship Program!
    • Farewell to Beth MacKinnon
    • Reminder- Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing, Dec. 8
    • Member stories
    • Radon- the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers
    • Guidance for clinical assessment centres and more
    • BORN Health Equity Advisory Group – call for interest
    • Get Mainpro+® credits for reading quality standards
    • Upcoming events including Highlights and implications of the Ontario Science Table’s brief on primary care and more

    Join AFHTO’s Executive Director Mentorship Program!

    Are you a leader with 3+ years of experience in team-based primary care? Are you interested in supporting new EDs as they develop in their role? If YES, AFHTO is looking for executive directors to join our ED Mentorship Program, and we want to hear from you!

    Please fill out this brief survey, and we will be in touch.

    More information about the program is here.

    Beth MacKinnon Oct 2022

     

    Farewell to Beth MacKinnon

    It is with genuinely mixed feelings we announce that Beth MacKinnon will be leaving AFHTO for new opportunities.

    Beth has been with AFHTO for nearly 5 years, most recently as Senior Associate, Policy and Advocacy. Many have you had the pleasure of working with her as she has supported the Governance and Leadership program and our advocacy efforts.

    We’re going to miss Beth but know she will bring so much to her future endeavours. Please join us in giving her our sincerest best wishes. Her last day with AFHTO will be Friday, December 30 – any questions related to her work can be directed to info@afhto.ca.

     

     

     

    Reminder- Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing, Dec. 8

    Metered dose inhalers produce significant carbon emissions. Ironically, these contribute to changes to the climate that can exacerbate respiratory conditions. Simple practice changes can help disrupt this cycle and lessen the health sector’s contributions to climate change.

    Register here.

    Member stories

    Belleville NPLC – Rotary honours NPLC board member

    Wawa FHT – Dr. Anjali Oberai recognized with the 2022 Ontario Family Physician of the Year award

    Radon- the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers
    Across Canada, radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. In persons who do smoke, the risks of developing lung cancer when exposed to radon are further compounded. Learn how and why you should speak to your patients about radon in machealth’s free and certified online program.

    Guidance for clinical assessment centres and more

    Recent updates include:

    We continue to update multiple pages on our site with resources and news:

    Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and updates. You can find links to related pages here as well.

    BORN Health Equity Advisory Group – call for interest

    The Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) Ontario is looking for community members to join their Health Equity Advisory Group (HEAG). To learn more, please see the terms of reference.
    If you have questions, please email Alana Esty and Danna Hull, Health Equity Advisory Group Co-Chairs at equity@bornontario.ca.

    Get Mainpro+® credits for reading quality standards

    Attention, family physicians! Do you need additional CME credits for end-of-year? Through Ontario Health’s no-cost Understanding Quality Standards in Primary Care Program, you can earn Mainpro+® credits for the quality standards you read. Just read a quality standard, complete a simple self-reflection exercise, and submit for your credits. This one-credit-per-hour Self-Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Ontario Chapter for up to 54.5 credits. Learn more here.

    Highlights and implications of the Ontario Science Table’s brief on primary care, Nov. 30, 2022

    On October 3, 2022, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table (OST) released its final brief, a 3-part exploration of how primary care responded to and was affected by the pandemic, and implications for ongoing health system planning and policy. In this webinar, you will hear from a panel of primary healthcare experts who contributed to that brief, as they share some of the most significant findings and implications. Register here.

    The latest on COVID, Influenza and Respiratory Viruses, Dec. 2, 2022
    53rd in the series “Changing the way we work” by OCFP and UofT. Register here.

    NEW Patient Safety Learning Community of Practice, Dec. 6, 2022

    The Quality and Patient Safety Team at Ontario Health kicks off the new community of practice focused on developing robust processes to track, prevent and learn from patient safety incidents. Register here.

    Ontario Health’s Mental Health and Addictions Provincial Data and Digital Initiative Webinar, Dec. 12, 2022
    Part of a quarterly series designed to share regular updates and gather feedback on the initiative. Register here.

    Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams, starting Jan 2023
    Tenth annual ‘Legal Issues for Primary Care Teams’ series will launch in January 2023, by Kate Dewhirst and Maria McDonald. Register here.

  • Join our ED Mentorship Program!

    Are you a leader in your team with 3+ years of experience? Are you interested in supporting new leaders in primary care teams? We are looking for some amazing executive directors and admin leads to join our ED Mentorship Program as mentors! 

    Mentoring is about supporting people to develop more effectively. It is a relationship based on trust that is designed to help a mentee take on increasing initiative, build confidence, and excel as a leader. New EDs can learn from others who have experience and who are willing to help them in developing their skills and expanding their knowledge.

    You can read more about the program here.

    AFHTO is looking for volunteer mentors for the ED Mentorship Program from different demographics and funding models. We recognize how busy all EDs are as we navigate uncertain times, but we hope you will consider this small investment of your time for a positive and rewarding experience.

    If you’re interested, please fill out this brief survey, and we’ll be in touch. 

    If you have any questions, please contact Alex Christy at alexander.christy@afhto.ca or info@afhto.ca

  • Bits & Pieces: update on the Ministry request memo and more

    Bits & Pieces: update on the Ministry request memo and more

    Your Weekly News & Updates

    In This Issue  
    • Update on the Ministry request memo and more
    • Refer frontline health workers to psychological practitioners for MOH-covered treatment
    • Reminder- Supporting Caregivers Supports Patients- The Critical Role of Primary Care in Preventing Caregiver Burnout, Nov. 24
    • Recruiting for study on healthcare providers and sex trafficking
    • Strategies to improve antibiotic use in primary care
    • TechSoup courses- disaster planning and cybersecurity
    • Have thoughts on how social work practice is organized and supported in primary care?
    • Exceptions to the Prescription Drug List- deadline Nov. 29
    • Upcoming events including Routine childhood vaccination: How to address lapses during COVID-19 and more

     

    Update on the Ministry request memo and more

    Recent updates include:

    We continue to update multiple pages on our site with resources and news:

    Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates– the original page, with news and updates. You can find links to related pages here as well.

    Refer frontline health workers to psychological practitioners for MOH-covered treatment

    Primary care providers can now refer patients directly to psychologists from their EMR enabling increased access to timely specialized mental health services. This is possible through a partnership between the Ontario Psychological Association and Ontario’s eServices Program, which saw the integration of the Ocean and Strata Health e-referral platforms thereby allowing family physicians, nurse practitioners, and other primary care providers to connect with psychologists.
     
    The Covid-19 Psychological Support Program, funded by the Ministry of Health, ensures that frontline health workers can receive up to 12 psychotherapy sessions with a registered psychologist or psychological associate at no cost. To learn more email opa@psych.on.ca or read their e-referral guidelines for more details.
     
    This builds on a prior collaboration between AFHTO, NPAO, OCFP, NPLCA, OMA’s section of General & Family Practice, and the Alliance for Healthier Communities.

    Reminder- Supporting Caregivers Supports Patients- The Critical Role of Primary Care in Preventing Caregiver Burnout, Nov. 24

    Co-hosted by The Ontario Caregiver Organization and the Primary Care Collaborative, this webinar will include insights from a caregiver with lived experience, as well as examples of primary care initiatives across Ontario that are connecting caregivers to support. Register here.

    Are you a healthcare provider wanting to improve services and supports for sex trafficking survivors?

    Recruiting for study on healthcare providers and sex trafficking
    Women’s College Research Institute seeks social workers, nurses and physicians who live and work in Ontario to discuss their thoughts and experiences regarding the domestic sex trafficking of adolescents and adults in Canada.   
     
    “In Canada, there has been limited research on sex trafficking, especially in adult populations and from a healthcare perspective. By attending to healthcare providers’ thoughts and experiences as professionals regarding domestic sex trafficking of adolescents and adults in Ontario, Canada, we can build an understanding of the gaps in care for this population and areas in which care can be improved.”   

    For further information please contact frances.recknor@wchospital.ca.

     

    Strategies to improve antibiotic use in primary care
    Nov. 18-24 is World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. To help promote this year’s campaign and to reinforce their commitment to the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), PHO has published new fact sheets, Strategies to Improve Antibiotic Use in Primary Care.

    TechSoup courses- disaster planning and cybersecurity

    Have thoughts on how social work practice is organized and supported in primary care?

    This study from the University of Toronto is looking to host one more focus group for social workers who haven’t had the chance to share their experience and perspectives on how social work practice has shifted during the pandemic. Participants will take part in a 60-minute focus group with other social workers in primary care.
     
    Led by Dr. Rachelle Ashcroft, Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, it’s supported by AFHTO and OASW.
     
    If you’re interested in participating, please send an email to Simon at sck.lam@utoronto.ca and include the clinic you work in.

    Exceptions to the Prescription Drug List- deadline Nov. 29

    Health Canada’s initial consultation on exceptions to the Prescription Drug List will close on Tuesday, November 29.
    You can participate in this consultation and provide feedback about which existing exceptions are still needed and why on their site. For more information, you can watch this recorded webinar.

    Routine childhood vaccination: How to address lapses during COVID-19, Nov. 24, 2022

    Accredited webinar offered by the Canadian pediatric Society and co-developed with Public Health Agency of Canada. Register here.

    Trauma Informed Care for Primary Care Providers: A Four-Part Series, Nov. 24- Dec. 15, 2022

    Free special series by ECHO Ontario Child and Youth Mental Health. Register here.

    Collaborative Health Governance in a Time of Deep Uncertainty, Nov. 25, 2022

    In this View From the Top session, held by McMaster University, guest speakers, Helen Bevan, Jodeme Goldhar and Stacey Daub will discuss why radical collaboration and collaborative governance make a difference for population health, healthcare, and wellbeing. Register here.

    Highlights and implications of the Ontario Science Table’s brief on primary care, Nov. 30, 2022

    On October 3, 2022, the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table (OST) released its final brief, a 3-part exploration of how primary care responded to and was affected by the pandemic, and implications for ongoing health system planning and policy. In this webinar, you will hear from a panel of primary healthcare experts who contributed to that brief, as they share some of the most significant findings and implications. Register here.

    NEW Patient Safety Learning Community of Practice, Dec. 6, 2022

    The Quality and Patient Safety Team at Ontario Health kicks off the new community of practice focused on developing robust processes to track, prevent and learn from patient safety incidents. Register here.

    Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing, Dec. 8

    Metered dose inhalers produce significant carbon emissions. Ironically, these contribute to changes to the climate that can exacerbate respiratory conditions. Simple practice changes can help disrupt this cycle and lessen the health sector’s contributions to climate change.

    Register here.

  • Update on the Ministry Request Memo – Respiratory Illness Season

    Dear Members,

    This fall, we have encountered an uptick in infections leading to hospital capacity becoming strained, especially at paediatric hospitals where cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have coincided with an increase in COVID transmission and an earlier-than-normal flu season. It is expected that these pressures will continue until mid-January. Additionally, pharmacies across Canada are dealing with a shortage of cough syrup and cold medicine, particularly medication for children. Health Canada expects a shipment of ibuprofen from the U.S. and acetaminophen from Australia to arrive imminently and will be available for distribution to pharmacies soon. Please click here for an update on the Children’s Cold and Flu Medications and Amoxicillin Shortage from the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health.

    Memo on an Important Ministry Request – Respiratory Illness Season

    Yesterday you would have received a memo from the Primary Health Care Branch at the Ministry of Health EN FR in response to the rising respiratory illness and system capacity constraints. We know many of you have a lot of questions on how to interpret the memo, especially the line:

    … I am writing to call on your support and requesting your organizations to offer clinical services 7 days a week, including evening availability, until further notice, to meet the needs of your patients. Please advise your patients of this availability so they may seek care in the appropriate place for their health concerns.

    In discussions with the Ministry, this memo was not intended to be directive nor prescriptive but was a request to communicate to your patients about how to access care, especially for sick children, with a focus on receiving care through their primary care teams first so that your patients do not seek care in the hospital if not needed.

    For many of you this likely does not change the expanded services you already provide; however, this is an opportunity to remind your patients of these services including virtual care supports, after-hours clinics and promotion of Health Connect Ontario (formerly THAS). And if you’re not open or accessible 7 days a week, please let your patients know where else they can seek care first before going to the hospital.  

    There are some great resources that you can also post on your website, send proactively to your patients, share via social media, and encourage your patients to use:

    IF you can deploy your FHT resources (e.g., NPs/RNs/PAs and front-line staff) to support additional after-hours care (this could be in person or could be virtually, whatever works best for your team), funding support for teams that anticipate extraordinary costs associated with the expansion of availability is available.

    If you have unspent funds in your budget, you can also reallocate funds to help support additional staff hours with the usual in-year reallocation approvals process. As well, pooling of resources among FHTs and other primary care teams is also an option and is highly encouraged, especially for weekend coverage.  Please speak to your Senior Program Consultant about options available to you.

    Note that overtime pay is at the discretion of the employer, however teams are required to follow the Employment Standards Act where the team is non-unionized. Where unionized, teams are required to comply with the Collective Agreement.

    We know you may have more questions about the memo and the ask to alleviate the pressures currently being faced in the health care system, especially in paediatric hospitals. We are in constant communication with the Ministry, the CMoH’s office and Ontario Health so please outreach and we’ll do our best to address your questions and concerns.

    Clinical Assessment Centres
    Another resource that can be promoted to patients are the Ontario Health Clinical Assessment Centres which will be expanding access and supporting primary care providers in diverting COVID, Flu and ILI assessments from the ED (ready for beginning of December). Ontario Health Regions and CACs have been encouraged to form partnerships with interprofessional primary care teams where feasible to enhance capacity and ensure broader access (i.e., evenings and weekends) to meet the increased needs of patients.

    There are currently 107 assessment centres across the province—some of you may already be affiliated with your local CAC, or you may receive partnership opportunities in the coming weeks to support this request. Revised Clinical Guidance for CACs will be released shortly, encompassing the broader scope of work required of CACs during this time. This guidance will be shared with all primary care providers and organizations to support collaborations with CACs in managing ILIs.

    Upcoming Changes to Process for Ordering Provincial PPE/Testing Supplies

    • Effective April 2023, Ontario Health will transfer the management of provincial PPE/ testing supplies stockpile to the Ontario Ministry of Health. As a result, the Ministry of Health is launching a platform that will enable providers to continue orders online. All primary care organizations/practices can register for a free account (1 per organization).  In the meantime, you can still access PPE through the provincial stockpile if you need it.
    • Members can expect a communique from Ontario Health with additional details (e.g., how to sign up for the new platform, Ministry contact information, etc.) closer to April 2023.

    Resources and Supports

    • Resources to support your patients (COVID-19 vaccines and Flu Vaccines):
      • Access the Ministry’s booster eligibility calculator here. This ensures your patients have a clear understanding of the COVID-19 booster dose recommendations and the importance of why and when they should receive a booster dose.
      • The OMA has developed Template letter: COVID-19 Fall booster doses for individuals aged 5+ that can be accessed. A reminder that the OMA has updated COVID resources that can be found behind their paywall here.
      • Access the COVID-19 Vaccines Information Sheet. This document reflects updates to high-risk groups and availability of the Pfizer bivalent vaccine EN FR
      • COVID-19, RSV and Flu Vaccine Posters (please continue to encourage COVID boosters and flu shots with every patient visit if possible):
        • Boost Your Protection Against COVID-19 poster EN FR
        • Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) EN FR
        • Anyone can catch the flu. Protect yourself and others. EN FR
      • Flu shot social media graphics

    Updated COVID-19 Guidance:

    • As you may be aware, the Ontario Ministry of Health has updated its COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance (November 7, 2022 – English only) which reflects the following changes (remember to clear your cache to see the updated guidance):
      • Addition of NACI guidelines for monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech 6 months – 4 years.
      • Revision of high-risk populations.
      • Addition of out-of-Province vaccination chart.
      • Reference table for mRNA vaccines: caps and labels.

    We know how much teams have stepped up during these grueling almost three years of the pandemic without any additional supports or recognition and you are exhausted. We have expressed to the CMoH and others in the Ministry and Ontario Health that members are already working at capacity, dealing with vacancies and staff being off sick, working with partners in their OHTs, all while still facing greater and greater operating pressures and mounting wait lists on regular care, in addition to surge issues. We remain in continual awe when our teams respond to these calls to action as you continue to shine a light on how critical primary care is to the health care system – it is truly the foundation.  A sincere thank you for everything that you do for your patients and your communities.

    Yours in good health,

    The AFHTO Team

  • Environmental Scan and Strategy Framework for Primary Care

    Dear board chairs, executive directors, and admin leads,
     
    We have developed a succinct 2-page Environmental Scan and Strategy Framework for Primary Care to support teams with generative discussions and strategy development. This has been done using a common strategy framework known as PEST, which groups factors that are affecting primary care into four categories.
     
    PEST stands for Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, and Technological.
     
    Broken into these four categories, the scan lays out current issues in Ontario that boards should keep in mind when doing strategic planning.
     
    This is a standard support tool for boards of primary care organizations, and we encourage teams to use it to help develop or update strategic priorities. Also in this document are 10 questions that we encourage boards to ask during their strategy development.
     
    We hope this is helpful. We invite you to contact us at info@afhto.ca if you have any questions.
     
    Sincerely,
    Your AFHTO Team