A report regarding a review of primary health care in Lloydminster was accepted by members of the Prairie North Regional Health Authority board at a regular meeting April 27.
The review was commissioned by PNHR in collaboration with the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation, which has unanimously endorsed the report.
PNHR CEO David Fan highlighted the major findings and recommendations of the review.
The review determined Lloydminster currently requires at least nine additional physicians to bring the family physician-to-resident ratio to the recommended guideline of one doctor for every 1,500 people. The community presently has 19 doctors and needs to increase that number to at least 28.
The Lloydminster and area population is expected to grow rapidly through the next decade. Coupled with the community's young population and lower health status scores in several key areas, a projected 35 more physicians will be required by 2030.
The review's stakeholder consultation process identified access to family physicians, access to mental health services, access to chronic disease management services and access to after-hours care as the most pressing primary health care issues that need to be addressed.
The report recommends:
Development and implementation of a family physician recruitment strategy to address the short and longer term needs for family physicians in Lloydminster;
Establishment of a primary health care centre on each side of the Saskatchewan/Alberta border. The Saskatchewan site would be aligned with the Saskatchewan Primary Care Model; the Alberta site based on the Alberta Primary Care Model;
Development of a shared vision, service mandate, service delivery model and accountability framework for PHC in Lloydminster;
Action to address issues related to Lloydminster's unique status as a border city, with the view to ensuring timely, equitable access to PHC services; and
Development and implementation of mechanisms and processes to effectively engage and communicate with key internal and external stakeholders.
Fan stated recruitment and retention of physicians is the immediate priority. The community has lost six family physicians in the past year, and six have been recruited to replace them. However, lag time between the departures and arrivals contributes to the physician shortage, and there are still not enough family physicians in Lloydminster.
Fan added that while prior thinking focused on developing a single hybrid primary health care model for Lloydminster, building on the separate Alberta and Saskatchewan systems makes sense and would be more achievable.
PNRHA board members said the key is to move forward through the review project's Steering Committee, in collaboration with Alberta Health Services and the Saskatchewan and Alberta Ministries of Health, to action the recommendations. Copies of the report will be provided to the two ministries.
