P.E.I. caregivers say newly-opened medical homes will improve health access
Well being officers and care suppliers say that the official opening of 5 new collaborative medical practices, often known as medical houses, helps the province enhance health-care entry whereas additionally bolstering recruitment and retention efforts in P.E.I.
The 5 new medical houses are a core element of Well being P.E.I.’s plans to maneuver the province’s major care mannequin from stand-alone household doctor practices to centres which home medical doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners and different allied health-care professionals.
Well being Minister Ernie Hudson introduced the placement of the 5 medical houses – a time period that may incorporate a couple of location – within the legislature on April 1.
Two of the brand new houses might be primarily based in two separate places. These would be the medical centres on the Charlottetown Polyclinic and the Parkdale Medical Centre and each the Cornwall and Crapaud well being centres. The opposite three places of medical houses would be the Sherwood Medical Centre in Charlottetown, the Kinlock Medical Centre in Stratford and the Kensington Well being Centre.
Dr. Katherine McNally, Well being P.E.I.’s chief medical officer, stated the brand new medical houses will contain a community of household physicians, whose patient-loads might be introduced underneath the umbrella of the brand new collaborative well being centres.
“Workforce-based care is the idea of what a affected person medical house is,” McNally informed SaltWire Community throughout a media occasion on the Kinlock Medical Centre.
“As a substitute of taking a look at a affected person’s particular grievance in isolation, you may take the entire context of that affected person’s well being into consideration,” McNally stated.
McNally stated these medical houses will assist break down health-care silos. They may also assist present extra entry to a major care supplier, she stated.
There are presently 22,796 Islanders who lack entry to a household physician or household care supplier.
However McNally cautioned that the opening of the medical houses won’t make a right away influence on the province’s affected person registry numbers. The houses will, nonetheless, assist the province recruit and retain extra health-care staff.
Dr. Jaclyn O’Brien, a household doctor, has been working as a part of the Kinlock Medical Centre’s medical house since final July. She stated there at the moment are 5 household medical doctors, 4 licensed sensible nurses, a number of registered nurses and a physiotherapist working underneath the identical roof. Every household physician has a affected person load of between 1,200 and 1,600.
She graduated from medical faculty in Ottawa eight years in the past. Most of her colleagues work in comparable collaborative clinics there.
“Primarily all new physicians that I do know wish to work in a mannequin like this. So, if we wish to recruit individuals to P.E.I. and recruit physicians we wish to keep on P.E.I. for the long-term, I feel that is one of the best mannequin,” O’Brien stated.
Steve Lawlor, a major care physiotherapist, started working with O’Brien on the Kinlock Medical Centre in January. He stated the collaborative follow has meant a standard digital medical document system between practitioners. He stated this method has been “invaluable”.
“It is truly been one of the helpful issues regarding the method that this follow works,” Lawlor stated.
“It merely permits us to electronically message one another, you already know, securely via the system, concerning sufferers, concerning whether or not issues could also be wanted.”
The introduced opening of the 5 medical centres produced a uncommon second of enthusiastic settlement between the Progressive Conservative authorities and the Inexperienced Opposition.
“It is a vital milestone in our journey to remodeling how major care, foundational care is delivered to Islanders and for Islanders,” Hudson informed the legislature.
Inexperienced well being critic Michele Beaton referred to as it “a wonderful announcement”. She stated the houses will assist create a greater work setting for care suppliers.
“Once you’re working with like-minded individuals and you’ve got that help, that is the place you discover pleasure since you benefit from the individuals that you just’re working with,” Beaton stated.
Liberal MLA Robert Henderson, against this, panned the announcement. He urged the medical houses weren’t completely different from present collaborative well being centres in Tignish. He additionally famous the closest house from his district of O’Leary-Inverness was in Kensington.
“This announcement actually jogs my memory plenty of that outdated business. It is referred to as Tide in chilly water. Are you able to see the distinction? Can I see the distinction? I do not see the distinction,” Henderson stated.
Healthcare suppliers assigned to P.E.I.’s 5 new medical houses
Cornwall/Crapaud
1 Medical physician
4 Nurse Practitioners
1 Registered Nurse
6 Licensed Sensible Nurses
Different help employees
Kensington
2 Medical medical doctors
2 Nurse Practitioners
1 Registered Nurse
3 Licensed Sensible Nurses
Different help employees
Sherwood Medical Centre (Charlottetown)
2 Medical medical doctors
2 Nurse Practitioners (1 vacant)
2 Licensed Sensible Nurses
1 Social Employee (posted)
Polyclinic/Parkdale (Charlottetown)
2 Medical medical doctors
2 Nurse Practitioners (1 vacant)
1 Licensed Sensible Nurse
Kinlock (Stratford)
5 Medical medical doctors
1 Physiotherapist
4 Licensed Sensible Nurse
