(From Connexion Newsletter Spring/Summer 2024)
In the fall of 2023, the Thompson Region became one of five pilot communities to participate in the Family Practice Services Committee’s After Hours Care Program as a way to address urgent and semi-urgent issues for attached patients outside of clinic hours.
“Our region recognized the need for after-hours coverage,” says Sue Lissel, former Senior Network Lead at the Thompson Region Division of Family Practice. “Due to the recent closure of walk-in services in our community, most patients are directed to the urgent primary care center or emergency department on evenings and weekends. This program is designed to provide non-emergency care while satisfying the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC requirements for 24/7 care for longitudinal patients.”
Dr. Andrew Wynne, who staffs the After Hours Care Program (AHCP), says some of the growing pains with the service have been related to appropriate triage and call volumes.
“This should get better when nursing triage is introduced to all calls on April 30, and more consistent information related to the service is made available to patients,” Dr. Wynne says.
Trained nurses triage patients and direct them to an emergency department or other appropriate services, so that only those who will benefit from a physician’s guidance after hours are connected to the physician on call.
“I have personally found it organized and supported,” says Dr. Wynne. “There is a Clinical Support Team member working with you throughout the shift. Compensation is fair, and shift preferences can be incorporated into your schedule as they fit.”
In March, the program was extended another six months and expanded to include Shuswap-North Okanagan with the original communities of Langley, South Okanagan Similkameen, South Island, Thompson Region, and Victoria. As of December 2023, approximately 70 per cent of family doctors and nurse practitioners in the participating communities had signed up to use the service, serving a combined population of 370,000 attached patients. This represents more than 90 family physicians.
“In the Thompson Region, 21 physicians have signed up to staff the service and 38 physicians and nurse practitioners are using it,” says Lissel. “These attached patients can now access physician care for urgent concerns after hours, while providers may notice a better work-life balance knowing their colleagues are available for their patients.”
The service is available Monday to Friday from 5 p.m.to 9 a.m., and 24 hours on weekends and statutory holidays.
Dr. Wynne sees the potential benefits of the service as it develops.
“For primary providers, it can provide after-hours call coverage relief. Critical lab results get forwarded to the AHCP and a response sent to the patient. The program provides patients with easier access to physician advice while minimizing the potential burden on urgent care centers and emergency departments.”
Resources: To access materials to share with patients, go to the After Hours Care toolkit for family practices. https://fpscbc.ca/after-hours-care/using-the-service/toolkit.
