The following letter has been sent by FPSC Co-chairs, Ted Patterson (Ministry of Health) and Dr Sari Cooper (Doctors of BC) to PCN Steering Committee Co-chairs, CSC Co-chairs, PCN managers, Divisions of Family Practice Executive Directors, First Nations Health Authority Vice Presidents of Regional Operations & Regional Primary Care Managers, Nurse and Nurse Practitioners of BC Leaders, and Health Authority Primary Care Vice Presidents and Executive Directors.
We are excited to share significant changes that will take place as part of a refresh of our approach to Primary Care Networks (PCNs). These changes result from many conversations with physicians, other health care providers, health authorities and other partners at the community and provincial levels. Your input has been critically important to our collective efforts to strengthen team-based care and ensure that the voices of physicians and other health care professionals are strongly represented as we move forward. We want to thank the PCN Governance Transition Working Group for their tremendous contribution, and to thank each and every one of you for your input and your commitment to the work.
Five years after the creation of the first PCNs, we have many successful examples around the province where teams are providing care for patients in new and innovative ways. We know that through our PCNs, we are making a difference for patients and families, as well as for those providing primary care.
As can be expected, there have been challenges as well. PCNs represent a major shift in the way we work, and we have learned a lot since we started. In response to a constantly shifting landscape, and feedback from physicians and partners, the Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC) committed to engaging with you to refresh our approach. Detailed information on the refreshed approach can be found in a downloadable PDF and on the website. The changes we are announcing today are not taking place in isolation. We are building on the momentum of the work you have already done, along with a range of recent improvements to the system to support physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, and allied health professionals, including the new Longitudinal Family Physician Payment Model.
More information about these opportunities to advance your PCN using these new approaches, including supports and resources, will be shared in the coming months, including at the FPSC Primary Care Partners Event on October 24, 2023. As these details are emerging, please continue the excellent work you are doing for PCNs.
Our approach moving forward is the result of collaboration between Doctors of BC and the BC Ministry of Health. We are excited to work together with you on the next phase of PCN implementation.
Kind regards,
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Dr Sari Cooper
Co-chair, Family Practice Services Committee
Doctors of BC
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Ted Patterson
Co-chair, Family Practice Services Committee
Ministry of Health
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