Patients First: updates and next steps

• OPCC submits a joint primary care response to the Dec. 2015 Patients First proposal
• Minister reports on first year progress on the Feb. 2015 Patients First action plan
• Patients First: next steps?
• Staff compensation update

OPCC submits a joint primary care response to the Dec. 2015 Patients First proposal

Through work led by AFHTO, the six associations in the Ontario Primary Care Council submitted today its recommendations to the Minister on the following key areas in Patients First: A proposal to strengthen patient-centred health care in Ontario:

• Ministry stewardship and LHIN mandate
• Access to interprofessional health providers and access to teams
• Embedding care co-ordination in primary care and the next steps to support implementation
• The interface between primary care, mental health and addictions
• Clinical leadership
• Governance, performance and accountability
• Critical enabler: data and information management

AFHTO released its Patients First response on March 4, which presents the views of AFHTO members and provided guidance for the OPCC submission. Click here to see how AFHTO worked with members to develop this advice, and to access links to reports from each LHIN.

Minister reports on first year progress on the Feb. 2015 Patients First action plan

In a speech yesterday, the Minister emphasized his commitment to improving health equity and access as he reviewed the past year’s results since the launch of Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care. While there are many notable achievements, the only reference to primary care so far is that 94% of Ontarians report having a regular primary care provider, and that the ministry has been consulting with stakeholders and the public on primary care and home care changes to improve the connections and communications between health care providers, hospitals, and home and community care.

Patients First: next steps?

From conversations with various people in the Ministry and Minister’s Office we understand that government is reviewing feedback received and is focusing for the next month or two is on the legislative amendments they’ll be introducing to the legislature. The ministry’s work to develop a province-wide patient experience survey is expected to begin in April. Work to develop the provincial framework for performance measurement is likely to follow in a few months. Presumably discussion to develop new contract templates for FHTs will also follow soon thereafter. The ministry has invited AFHTO to participate in all of these developments.

Meanwhile, it’s clear that each LHIN is proceeding with some level of implementation planning. From meetings with 11 of the 14 LHINs that have been jointly organized by AFHTO members and staff, we can see some significant differences in approaches. AFHTO will be organizing teleconferences in May with the ED, Physician and NPLC Leadership Councils to strategize on how to ensure each LHIN (and subLHIN) moves in a direction that will strengthen the relationship between people and their primary care providers, and strengthen primary care to be the foundation of the health system.

Staff compensation update

AFHTO, AOHC and NPAO have completed three meetings with the Ministry’s Primary Health Care Branch to work out details on how the additional funding for each primary care organization is to be calculated, and the terms and conditions for the use of these funds within each organization. Good progress is being made, but there are many details to work through. A fourth meeting is scheduled for next week. Our March 3^rd joint email presents the most up-to-date information we are able to share at this point.