Frequently asked questions can be found below.
A GP for Me is a program sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC to provide all British Columbians who want one with access to a family doctor.
The program is just getting started in most parts of BC and will not be an instant solution for everyone who is looking for a doctor now. However, over time it will help make family doctors available to more people in two ways:
- Groups of doctors in communities will be developing plans to increase access to care in their local areas; and
- Individual doctors’ offices will receive support to help make their practices more efficient, which will enable them to take on new patients if they choose to.
Right now, the best source for finding a doctor is asking friends or family. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC also maintains a list of doctors accepting new patients.
Provincial data to the end of 2013 shows that about 200,000 people in BC are looking for a family doctor. There are more people than this who do not have a regular doctor, but not everyone is interested in having one.
Primary care is the usual first point of contact a person has with the health system – the point where people receive care for most of their everyday health needs. Primary care is typically provided by family physicians in BC. It includes the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of various health conditions. It also includes referrals to specialists and diagnostic services such as laboratory tests or X-rays.
A strong doctor-patient relationship is directly linked to better health outcomes as well as greater satisfaction for doctors and patients. If you have an ongoing relationship with your family doctor you are likely to experience better care because your doctor knows and understands your background and medical history. You will also benefit from more preventative care, better communication and coordination of your care when you need to be referred to other health care providers, more accurate diagnoses, better medication management, avoidance of repeat tests or other interventions, and fewer hospitalizations.
A GP for Me was prototyped in three communities: Cowichan Valley, Prince George, and White Rock-South Surrey. Approximately 300 family physicians participated through their local Division of Family Practice, and were successful in finding regular primary care for 9,400 people who did not previously have a doctor. The approaches that were tried in these three communities will provide helpful input to doctors in other parts of BC as they develop their own local plans.
If you already have a family doctor, you should not notice any negative changes to your interaction with them. It is entirely optional for doctors to take on new patients. A GP for Me might even help your doctor improve the efficiency of his/her practice, through new supports being offered to those doctors who provide ongoing care to their patients. For example, there will be new fees for things like telephone consultations with patients, a first in BC.
If you have a regular family physician you will consider them to be your regular health care provider and they in turn will know you are their patient. Some doctors may have a conversation with their patients about responsibilities in a doctor-patient relationship. As a patient, your commitment may include turning to your family doctor first for all your health care needs and letting them know when you have received care elsewhere (e.g. at a hospital, walk-in clinic or another health care provider like a physiotherapist). In turn, your doctor’s commitment could include providing you access to health care for the long term, maintaining your medical record, and helping you access other health care professionals through referrals, when needed.
Finding new doctors for patients who already have one is not the focus of A GP for Me. That said, patients remain free to choose the doctor best suited to their needs and you can choose to look for a new doctor at any time. It is recommended that you stay with your current doctor until you have found a new one, to ensure you are not without access to primary care.
Doctors, like patients, are free to choose who they will work with. They may notify a patient that they will no longer be their doctor provided they meet the requirements of the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons including considering the patient’s safety and well-being and providing notice in writing of their decision.