News

New Family Health Team means more access to Northumberland doctors

Additional support, services to be added

Aug 27, 2010

Northumberland News - Moya Dillon

COBOURG -- Orphaned patients in Northumberland will soon have easier access to family doctors thanks to the newly announced Northumberland Hills Family Health Team (FHT.)

"Creation of the Northumberland Hills FHT will ensure an ongoing enhanced level of primary care for our current and future patients by co-ordinating with new allied health professionals such as nurse practitioners that we hope to bring to the area," said Dr. Mark Essak, one of 25 physicians from west Northumberland who will be part of the team.

"This is the model that new medical graduates are looking to practice in so this should bode well for us in the future when it comes to recruitment."

The FHT was one of 30 new teams announced across the province on Tuesday, Aug. 24. MPP Lou Rinaldi was on hand at Northumberland Hills Hospital to announce the new initiative.

"This is not a cookie-cutter approach," Mr. Rinaldi said of the FHTs.

"Each one is different and based on the needs of the community. With a lot of doctors coming to an age that's the same as mine, where maybe they want to hang up their skates, I believe the FHT will be a great tool for recruitment. Also, by bringing in allied services such as nurse practitioners, doctors don't have to spend their time dealing with those issues and can take on more patients.
Dr. David Broderick, another physician involved with the original FHT application, equates the addition of one nurse practitioner for four local physicians as equal to 800 additional patients getting a doctor, 200 for each physician.

"This should help us deal with some of those unattached patients who are currently in the community," he explained.

"For some of us this is just going to allow our offices to run more smoothly, for others it will allow them to build up their practices. I think it's a very positive thing. It will allow better access, better continuity of care and allow us to extend care into the home, which is something we're not able to do now due to a lack of resources."

When asked if the new FHT could address some of the services lost to recent cuts at NHH, Dr. Essak said that support for outpatient diabetes education would be part of the FHT business plan, but that as of now the ministry is not funding rehabilitation through this model.

It is expected that the local FHT will be operational within one year, although the team may not have a physical space by then. While a new building is being considered, the FHT will operate out of the four buildings that currently house the 25 physicians.