Primary Care Reform Must Centre Family Physicians

Dear SGFP Members,
This summer brought the FHO+ announcement, a meaningful step that recognizes the value of our work and the pressures we face. But as we all know, sustaining excellent care in family medicine requires more than adjustments to compensation. It demands thoughtful structures and systems that support us in delivering care that is both effective and brings joy to our work.

Today, I am passing the pen to our Policy Lead, Dr. Beth Perrier to outline a key SGFP policy focus.

Warm Regards,
Dr. Dave Barber
Chair, SGFP

Thank you, Dave.
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Primary care in Ontario is overdue for meaningful change. It’s complex, fragmented, and too often uncoordinated. High-performing healthcare systems around the world are just that—systems—purposely designed and implemented. What we have is a patchwork. It’s not serving patients, family physicians, or the broader health system. And it’s certainly not setting us up for a sustainable future.

The $1.8B investment and the creation of the Primary Care Action Table were welcome signals. But the actions to date have been narrow, focused on a few priority areas, and not nearly enough to meet the moment. We need bold reforms, not tweaks. We need a new vision for family medicine and primary care—one that centers on the patient, restores joy to practice, and builds for equity and sustainability.

That vision must be backed by new models and structures that support how we work, collaborate, and lead. Strengthening and scaling family physician-led Primary Care Networks (PCNs) is one of the most promising paths forward toward building a system of primary care. PCNs can offer the infrastructure, relationships, and flexibility we need to deliver care that truly meets the needs of our communities.

Yet the provincial approach to PCNs has been anything but purposeful. While there are pockets of excellence, PCNs have not been designed as a concerted effort to organize and empower primary care, but as an afterthought to Ontario Health Teams and developed without clear structure, outcomes, or accountability.

This month marks one year since SGFP released its PCN discussion paper, a blueprint to building an effective primary care system. The advocacy points remain relevant and, unfortunately, unaddressed. I encourage you to review the paper or its one-page summary (found on the second page of the paper) to see where we stand.

Most importantly, family physicians must lead PCNs. This cannot be a top-down initiative driven by bureaucrats removed from the realities of primary care. We know our patients, our teams, and our communities. We know what works—and what doesn’t.

Your SGFP Policy Team wants to hear from you. What’s working in your PCN? What’s not? Please reach out at ChairLetterSGFP@outlook.com.

We continue to advocate fiercly for meaningful change.

Warmly,

Dr. Beth Perrier

Policy Lead, SGFP

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