Two Years of SGFP’s PCN Policy Work

Dear SGFP Members,

This month marks two years since SGFP released its first policy paper as a reorganized Section — our foundational paper on Primary Care Networks (PCNs). Since then, we have published several additional papers, but today I want to return to that first one and reflect on why it continues to matter for all of us.

Why PCNs Still Matter

When we wrote the PCN paper two years ago, we did not yet know how significant the coming period of change in primary care would be. Since then, over $3 billion has been invested in team-based care, attachment, with more to come with the Primary Care Medical Record (PCMR). With investment of this scale comes real risk if the system is not supported by the right governance and structures.

The recommendations in our PCN paper still stand today, and in many ways are more relevant than ever. Without the right system design, these investments will not deliver the outcomes family physicians or patients need.

Taking a Long-Term View

Many groups across Ontario are working to strengthen PCNs as they exist today, improving leadership, engagement, and coordination. This work is important.

At the same time, SGFP’s Executive has asked our Policy Team to take a longer view: what PCNs must look like to move family medicine from burden and crisis toward ease and joy in practice, and how they must be structured to get us there.

This is the work SGFP is advancing, not just supporting PCNs as they are, but shaping what they must become to build a strong, sustainable primary care system.

What Members Can Do Today

We know most family physicians do not have time to sit at PCN tables, and we know PCNs vary widely, some early-stage, some struggling, some moving quickly.

Whatever the stage, your engagement matters, even in small ways. PCNs are still forming their identity, and member voices influence how they grow.

You can help by:

• Connecting with your PCN to learn what supports already exist. Even early-stage PCNs often have resources (or at minimum-information) that can help your practice.
• Asking for what family medicine needs — consistently. Repeated, aligned messages from physicians shape PCN priorities.
• Reinforcing the fundamentals: family physicians deliver the majority of care in Ontario, and PCNs must be structured to support that reality.
• Sharing gaps and challenges with SGFP so we can escalate them through our advocacy.

These small but steady actions help ensure PCNs evolve in ways that reflect the realities of family medicine.

Our Advocacy Continues

We are continuing to evolve our advocacy to ensure that PCNs become the structural backbone of a coordinated, physician-led primary care system. SGFP is currently working together with the OMA to advocate to government on PCN recommendations. If we are successful, this work will make a significant difference for the future of family medicine in Ontario.

Thank you for your continued engagement and for the work you do every day to care for patients and strengthen our profession.

Warm Regards,

Dr. Dave Barber, Chair, SGFP

‍

Follow SGFP on LinkedIn

‍