People living in Surrey will now have better access to same-day urgent and primary care with the opening of a second new urgent and primary care centre (UPCC) in Newton.

“The new Surrey urgent and primary care centre will connect people who don’t have a family doctor with the health care they need,” said Premier John Horgan. “This is one of 17 urgent and primary care centres opened in communities around the province, along with new and upgraded hospitals and primary care networks that will deliver better, faster health care to all British Columbians.”

The Surrey-Newton Urgent and Primary Care Centre, located at 6830 King George Blvd., is operated by Fraser Health. It was developed in close collaboration with the Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice, which assisted in the clinic’s design and planning.

Whalley is the home of Surrey’s first urgent and primary care centre, which opened in November 2018.

The Surrey-Newton Urgent and Primary Care Centre will offer same-day care for people who need health care within 12 to 24 hours but do not require an emergency department, such as people with sprains, cuts, high fevers and minor infections.

The centre is initially open Monday to Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Beginning in July, it will provide both long-term planned primary care services and urgent primary care services, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, like other UPCCs in the province.

Starting in July, the centre will support regular, day-to-day care for people who do not have a primary care provider. It will also help residents who lack a primary care provider to easily access services and find ongoing primary care through a regular family doctor or a nurse practitioner. 

“We are listening to people in B.C., and that is why we are delivering on our primary care strategy to meet the health-care needs of a rapidly growing and aging population,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “With this new centre, we are helping thousands of people who do not have a family doctor get their daily health-care needs met and help secure a primary care provider.”

Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO, Fraser Health, said, “Fraser Health is excited about improving access to care for more people in the region. This second Surrey urgent and primary care centre will provide patients with much-needed comprehensive and team-based care services close to home.”

A team of health-care workers will join the centre, including family physicians, nurse practitioners and registered nurses, as well as allied health providers (pharmacist, social worker and clinical counsellor) and support staff.

This is the 17th urgent and primary care centre to be announced under the government’s primary care strategy and is the fifth in the Fraser Health region, following North Surrey, Burnaby, Ridge-Meadows and Abbotsford.

Quotes:

Harry Bains, MLA for Surrey-Newton –

“Surrey is one of the fastest growing communities in B.C. This new urgent and primary care centre will help take demand off Surrey Memorial Hospital’s emergency department.”

Jinny Sims, MLA for Surrey-Panorama –

“As a resident of Surrey, I’ve heard families say they need more options for their daily health-care needs. I am confident this centre will provide convenient access to health care when and where residents need it.”

Dr. Kathleen Ross, president, Doctors of BC –

“We look forward to the new urgent and primary care centre to provide Surrey residents with more timely access to health-care services while supporting important long-term relationships and continuity of care that result in better health outcomes for patients.”

Dr. Elaine Jackson, co-chair, board of directors, Surrey-North Delta Division of Family Practice –

“The Surrey-North Delta Division is supportive of this provincewide effort to improve access to quality health care and values the opportunity to partner with Fraser Health in the co-design of the service delivery model for this UPCC. This Surrey UPCC will serve patients who have difficulties accessing primary care, particularly after hours. It will strengthen the existing network of primary care services in the community and will create an alternative employment opportunity for family physicians and health-care teams willing to provide care in Surrey.”

Jacqollyne Keath, board chair, Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC –

“Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC are pleased to see that a team-based approach to care taps into the expertise of all health-care staff. We believe that this approach is key to ensuring B.C. families can access timely health-care services when they need them, and we are excited about the opening of another urgent and primary care centre in B.C."

Quick Facts:

• 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 non-life-threatening conditions such as sprains, urinary problems, ear infections, minor cuts or burns.
• Urgent and primary care centres are part of a comprehensive strategy to transform B.C.’s health system by bringing together and co-ordinating with health-care providers, services and programs to make it easier for people to access care, receive followup and connect to other services they may need.

Learn More:

To learn more about the Province’s primary health-care strategy, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018PREM0034-001010

To learn more about the Province’s strategy to increase the number of nurse practitioners, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0034-000995

To learn more about the Province’s strategy to recruit and retain more family medicine graduates, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018HLTH0052-001043

For a Punjabi translation: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/2020.05.27_NR_Second_Care_Centre_Surrey-Punjabi.pdf