(From Connexion Newsletter Fall/Winter 2023)
Almost a year after being developed, an on-call group for long-term care (LTC) patients is giving providers some much-needed relief. The Kamloops care home on-call (choc) group launched in January 2023 to provide coverage for the long-term care patients of member physicians. The call group’s primary purpose is to improve work-life balance for physicians being pulled in many different directions while ensuring 24/7 care for their patients.
“It has been a great achievement to get this process started,” says Dr. Cristina Liciu, a founding member of the CHOC group. “The group provides better work-life balance for physicians with long-term care patients. Last year, I only got 10 days off. The rest of the time, I was available 24/7.”
The hope is to attract more providers to take on LTC patients now that the group has been created and is functioning well. Currently, there are five members in the on-call group. More members could enable the group to expand coverage to include weekday evenings if desired, further supporting physicians in our community.
An evaluation conducted after the first three months indicates positive outcomes: improvement in work-life balance for physicians, fewer calls from care homes due to the new formalized process, and more appropriate calls. Care home staff say it will take time to iron out some kinks, but overall, the staff have voiced satisfaction.
“It’s so great to know that it’s there, and that we can access a most responsible provider in a timely manner without exhausting anyone,” says Ailie Kerr, IH Manager Clinical Operations, Short Stay Programs Ponderosa Lodge.
Calls are for urgent matters only on weekends, from Friday at 5 p.m. to Monday at 8 a.m., and during the week CHOC members act as back-up if the most responsible provider cannot be contacted between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m.
“Each Division has different call models,” says sue Lissel, Senior Network Lead, Thompson Region Division of Family Practice. “This is a small group, and if we can grow the membership, it will provide greater coverage for more patients and better balance for physicians who then spend fewer weekends on call.”
Join the on-call group. Contact Melanie Todd, Senior Project Manager.
Email: mtodd@thompsondivision.ca
