Katrina Chen, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed —

“Many residents in Burnaby worry that if their current doctor retires, they won’t be able to find a replacement. The primary-care transformation that the Ministry of Health is leading with partners will help many people in our community find the consistent, team-based primary care they so dearly need.”

Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds —

“Regular access to primary care can have a positive impact on a person’s entire health. Through team-based care, primary-care providers can network with other health-care providers to share information and make sure their patients’ health-care needs are being met. I’m proud of our government for the work underway and for making primary care such a priority.”

Anne Kang, MLA for Burnaby-Deer Lake —

“For seniors, when primary-care providers work together in teams it can help prevent a visit to the emergency room. It can mean seniors get the help they need to continue living safely at home, and it can mean greater connection between health-care providers and community organizations that work together to provide the quality of life seniors deserve.”

Janet Routledge, MLA for Burnaby North —

“Families will be better connected to the maternity care they need through Burnaby’s primary-care networks. More primary-care providers and more accessibility to care means healthier moms and babies and a stronger community. A change this big to primary care has been in need for a long time, and it’s great to see the time has come.”

David Thompson, vice-president, community hospitals and programs, Fraser Health —

“By partnering with the Ministry of Health, the Burnaby Division of Family Practice and community organizations, we are putting every patient at the centre of their care. Team-based care will ensure we can support our patients in improving their health, avoiding unnecessary hospital visits and remaining independent.”

Dr. Eric Cadesky, president, Doctors of BC —

“The best health-care systems in the world have strong primary care and we hope that the primary-care network initiative provides needed resources to doctors serving their community. A primary-care network will collectively increase a community’s capacity to provide greater access to primary care for those who need it, especially for vulnerable patients and those with complex health conditions.”

Sue Peck, director and council president, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC —

“The Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC are pleased to see that the knowledge, skills and expertise of the entire health-care team will be utilized to improve access to health care for all British Columbians through the new primary-care networks. We believe that this approach will be pivotal in ensuring B.C. families feel connected to their health-care team and we are excited to see the launch of primary-care networks in B.C.”

Dr. Charlene Lui, board chair, Burnaby Division of Family Practice —

“The Burnaby Division of Family Practice and its family doctors look forward to working in networks and with expanded teams, to ensure patients get easier and enhanced access to primary care. We are excited to be a part of this collaboration, knowing that patients in our practices and across the entire community will be well-cared for through more seamless access to the myriad of services they need.”

The new Burnaby Urgent and Primary Care Centre is a partnership between the Ministry of Health, Fraser Health and the Burnaby Division of Family Practice, and is supported by the Doctors of BC and the physicians of the PrimeCare Medical Centre and Clinic, who will host the urgent and primary-care centre on behalf of the community.

• Located in the Edmonds PCN, The Burnaby Urgent and Primary Care Centre will open in May 2019 and will provide services from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
• People can self-refer for their urgent and primary care needs or get a referral from family physicians or other care providers. The most-urgent patients will be treated first.
• It will gradually expand to include a full-service team-based primary-care incubator clinic, which will support experienced family physicians in mentoring new family physicians, consolidate nursing and allied health resources and work to attach people in need of regular primary care. Potential further expansion of the UPCC will be considered based on an assessment of need over time.
• Annual staffing and operating costs are projected at approximately $1.9 million; one-time startup costs are estimated at $1 million.
• Primary care is the day-to-day health care given by a health-care provider.
• Urgent primary care is the care that people need within 12 to 24 hours, for conditions, such as sprains, urinary problems, ear infections and minor cuts or burns.
• This is the province’s sixth urgent and primary-care centre to be announced. Centres exist in Kamloops, Quesnel, Victoria’s Westshore, Surrey and Vancouver’s Downtown/Westend.
• The Province’s primary-care strategy will see government fund and recruit 200 family doctors and 200 nurse practitioners and hire 50 clinical pharmacists to help provide all British Columbians with faster and improved access to health care.

The Burnaby primary care networks are a partnership between the Ministry of Health, Fraser Health, the Burnaby Division of Family Practice and Burnaby Health Services, and supported by the General Practice Services Committee, a joint clinical committee of the ministry and the Doctors of BC.

The Burnaby region includes Brentwood/Hastings, Edmonds, Lougheed and Metrotown. These communities have a combined population of 246,000, which is expected to grow to 270,000 in 2024 and to 301,600 in 2032.

Currently, Burnaby has 45 primary-care clinics participating in the primary-care network and 133 general practitioners. The new and existing health-care practitioners will work together with existing primary care professionals as part of a networked, team-based approach to providing care.

New resources are being allocated to the specific three primary-care networks in Burnaby, with a fourth coming at a later date. Resources are as follows:

Metrotown PCN

• Centre for Healthy Community: two new general practitioners, three new nurse practitioners, five allied health professional teams and one clinical pharmacist.
• Networked and integrated practices: one general practitioner, two nurse practitioners and 10 allied health professionals.
• An incubator clinic that will support experienced family physicians in mentoring new family physicians, consolidate nursing and allied health resources and work to attach people in need of regular primary care.

Edmonds PCN

• Centre for Healthy Community: two new general practitioners, two new nurse practitioners, five allied health professional teams and one clinical pharmacist.
• Networked and integrated practices: two new general practitioners, one nurse practitioner and six allied health professionals.
• An incubator clinic that will support experienced family physicians in mentoring new family physicians, consolidate nursing and allied health resources and work to attach people in need of regular primary care.

Brentwood/Hastings PCN

• Networked and integrated practices: two new general practitioners, two new nurse practitioners, 11 allied health professionals and one clinical pharmacist.

Lougheed PCN

• A fourth PCN located in Lougheed will be developed in the future.

How people can access primary care networks:

• A website will be established for the networks to provide information to patients, including which clinics are part of the network, services provided and hours of operation, as well as how to access services and become attached to a practice.
• Each network will actively communicate with its community as it grows its services so that people living in the community know how and where to access the health services they need.

Primary care network attributes include:

• processes to ensure all people in a community have access to quality primary care and are attached within a primary-care network;
• provision of extended hours of care, including early mornings, evenings and weekends;
• provision of same-day access for urgently needed care through the PCN or an urgent primary-care centre;
• access to advice and information virtually (e.g., online, text, email) and face to face;
• provision of comprehensive primary-care services through networking of primary-care providers and teams, to include maternity, inpatient, residential, mild/moderate mental health and substance use, and preventative care;
• co-ordination of care with diagnostic services, hospital care, specialty care and specialized community services for all patients and with a particular emphasis on those with mental-health and substance-use conditions, those with complex medical conditions and/or frailty and surgical services provided in community;
• clear communication within the network of providers and to the public to create awareness about appropriate use of services; and
• care that is culturally safe and appropriate.