Primary Health Care Reform

Primary Health Care Reform (PHCR)

Overview

In partnership with the Department of Health and Social Services and the Tlicho Community Services Agency, the NTHSSA is participating in six demonstration projects to test primary health care improvements, support relationship-building between clients
and our system, and provide best health, best care, and a better future for NWT residents.

Taking place in Yellowknife, Fort Smith, and the Dehcho and Tlicho regions, these projects will allow us to test innovative new models and approaches. These projects will be the foundational work that contributes to the broader vision of a culturally-safe health and social services system that provides relationship-based care for each and every resident of the Northwest Territories.

All of the demonstration projects will be developed in keeping with the principles of cultural safety and the recently-released Cultural Safety Action Plan. This will include priority training for all staff who are involved in these projects and the gathering and sharing of feedback as the changes we are hoping to test are implemented. Each project will include opportunities for public feedback and community engagement.

Integrated Care Teams

Integrated care teams are part of the PHCR model. In May 2024, the Łıwegǫ̀atì building opened in Yellowknife. As part of the move to this new building, a change was implemented that restructured the integrated care teams providing primary care services. There are now 4 integrated care teams instead of 10, established to ensure each team is more equally resourced and to help balance workloads across teams.

Each of the 4 teams are comprised of both clinical and non-clinical staff who together have the expertise to provide the care you need. Teams may include a dedicated group of Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Licensed Practical Nurses, Community Health Nurses, and Program Assistants, as well as a variety of other shared support roles such as the Holistic Wellness Advisors, to ensure your unique needs are considered.

The team names and meanings are as follows:

Team Wolf: Wolf Medicine teaches us about humility and tenacity.
Team Caribou: Caribou Medicine teaches us about kindness, generosity, and intergenerational knowledge.
Team Hawk: Hawk Medicine teaches us about gratitude, openness, and careful communication.
Team Muskox: Muskox Medicine teaches us about healing in group settings and resisting paternalism.

If a Physician leaves your Primary Care team, you will continue to be cared for by the team that the Physician was associated with. Care will continue to be provided by the Nurse Practitioner, Licensed Practical Nurse, Community Health Nurse, Holistic Wellness Advisor, and Program Assistant still associated with your team.

Over time, these changes will mean that when you call to book an appointment, who you see may change based on your appointment needs, but it will be with the same team – ensuring the health care provider you see already knows about you and your individual needs. This also means that the time you must wait for the next appointment may be shortened because there are more options available to you and more people who are able to provide the care you need.

Important information about this change:

If you were previously assigned to a family doctor, you will remain assigned to that family doctor, and will follow that doctor to their new team. This also means that as the NTHSSA continues to develop this care model, you will be able to access different members of the team when you visit, based on the reasons you are seeking care. In rare cases, someone may be moved to a different team at a future point as part of work to balance patient loads between all teams and ensure patients have access to the professionals they need. Any impacted individuals will be notified directly if this is the case.
If you were previously assigned to a team but not to a family doctor, you have been reassigned to one of the 4 new integrated care teams. The next time that you need to see someone in Primary Care, you can ask what team you have been assigned to. All appointments other than same-day appointments will be booked with your integrated care team.
If you are currently on a waitlist to be assigned to a family doctor, you will soon be assigned to one of the 4 integrated care teams. The change to 4 integrated care teams will – over time – help eliminate this waitlist. The process to bring each new person into care is being actively developed and will become the same mechanism for all new patients requesting to be added as a patient in the future. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work within our current capacity to complete this work. As each waitlisted individual is assigned to a team, they will be notified directly.
If you are not on a waitlist for a family physician but are a resident of Yellowknife, similar to the bullet above, over time, we will be working to develop a process that assigns people as they present for care. In the meantime, you can continue to book appointments by calling the central line for either same-day appointments or to book a future appointment and you will be seen by the most appropriate provider at the soonest availability when you call.

You will be informed of your team assignment when you call to book or at your next visit. You do not have to wait to be assigned to a team to book an appointment with Primary Care. If you require an appointment, please call 867-767-9294 or request a call-back by visiting www.nthssa.ca/callback.