Data drives decisions: that’s the message behind Lori Richey’s presentation to Council in August, where she outlined her role as Healthcare Advancement Coordinator for Peterborough County.
Established in October, 2023, the position creates a full-time physician recruitment resource working to stem the growing tide of residents without a family doctor. She brings twenty-eight years of healthcare experience to the role, in long term and primary care, as well as a five year stint in physician recruitment, during which she was instrumental in securing twenty physicians.
There are currently an estimated 32,000 residents in Peterborough City and County without a family doctor, according to the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP). Our region is not unique in this situation. It is estimated that 2.3 million residents across the province are in the same position, a number that is projected to climb to 4.4 million in two years.
The OCFP lists many factors contributing to the physician shortage, including administrative burden, lack of team supports, compensation not keeping pace with inflation, a proliferation of retirements and a decline in the number of medical students choosing to practice family medicine. These issues coupled with the projected population growth in Peterborough County make the need for a dedicated resource for retention and recruitment more important than ever, but more help is required to help make this recruitment effort successful.
Local challenges include a lack of infrastructure for family medicine practitioners, a lack of accurate data regarding the number and location of residents in need of a family doctor, a lack of candidates, a lack of spousal employment opportunities, a lack of day care options, high housing costs, and Family Health Organization restraints.
Some of the actions being pursued is the formation of an Eastern Ontario Physician Recruitment Alliance which will help lobby for broad changes including establishing guidelines for Family Health Organizations, medical centre infrastructure funding, daycare expansion and private partnerships to help create medical hubs where family doctors work with a team of pharmacists and specialists to provide comprehensive care.
Let’s get to the data to understand the status of primary health care services in the region. Currently Peterborough County has seven primary care offices, including the Millbrook Medical Centre, where eighteen Primary Care Physicians offer services. There is also a Nurse Practitioner office in Keene. Only eight of these doctors plan to continue to practice for ten years or more, and seven of them plan to retire within five years. Richey estimates that meeting the needs of the region would require an additional twelve more family doctors, and possibly more. These days many graduates choose to work part-time in family medicine and spending time working in hospitals, palliative care and in other roles to broaden their experience. Others choose to operate with a reduced work load. These factors boost the number of family doctors required to absorb those waiting to be rostered.
Richey is looking for accurate data about the number and location of residents who either do not have a family physician or who wish to receive care closer to home. This information is being collected through a Physician Healthcare Needs Assessment which is an online survey available on the Peterborough County website under the heading Your Health Matters – County of Peterborough (ptbocounty.ca). The information will help fill locum calendars and fill new patient rosters as new physicians come on board. As of July, her data indicated that only 235 Cavan Monaghan residents were looking for a family physician. Based on statistics from other municipalities as well as anecdotal evidence, this number seems particularly low.
In the meantime, Richey is meeting with medical students at Career Fairs in the six medical schools in the province, connecting with Canadian students attending international medical schools and promoting conditions that would attract more family doctors to the region.
If you are looking for a family doctor, complete the questionnaire so prospective family doctors know they are needed here. KG