Hamilton needs 50 more family doctors with Glanbrook and Mountain facing the worst shortages
Glanbrook faces the worst family doctor shortage in Hamilton while the lower city has a surplus of physicians.
Overall, Hamilton needs close to 50 more family doctors with the Mountain also having a greater shortage than other parts of the city.
Dundas was the only other community in Hamilton with a surplus, according to a report on physician recruitment and retention that is going to the Board of Health on Monday. Dundas has four more doctors than required for the population while the lower city has an extra 16 physicians. The rest of Hamilton is short between eight and 23 family doctors.
Physician recruitment in Hamilton faces many challenges," stated the report. Hamilton is competing with other communities across the province for a very limited pool of family medicine candidates. Current physicians are facing burnout due to COVID-19."
The report warns the shortage is likely to get worse unless changes are made to make Hamilton more attractive to younger physicians.
There are likely a number of family physicians in Hamilton nearing retirement, many of whom have large patient rosters in solo practices scattered throughout the city," stated the report. As younger candidates are often seeking greater work-life balance in group settings, succession planning for these retiring physicians will require creative solutions."
The city has attracted 412 family doctors since it started a recruitment and retention program in 2005. However, so many have retired or left that the total number of family physicians has only increased by 19 in the last 16 years for a total of 364 in 2021 compared to 345 in 2005.
The target is one physician for every 1,380 residents, around 413 doctors for Hamilton.
The program has supported a net increase in family physicians in Hamilton during a period of widespread physician shortages across the province and country," stated the report. The program has provided coverage for parental and medical leaves, vacations, sabbaticals and developed longer term staffing solutions to alleviate burnout."
It had good success last year with 48 family doctors recruited to Hamilton in 2021 - 28 permanent and 20 temporary. This year it's on track to exceed that with 46 doctors recruited as of June 20 - 23 permanent and 23 temporary.
However, attracting family doctors to Glanbrook has proven to be a challenge. The community has just two family physicians and needs 23 more.
Since 2009, Glanbrook has more than doubled in size without a corresponding increase in the number of family physicians," stated the report. Part of the challenge with recruiting family physicians to Glanbrook is the lack of suitable family practice space and the fact that there are no Family Health Organization models of care in the area. Most new family physicians prefer to work in a team care setting."
Most Glanbrook patients are travelling to Stoney Creek or Hamilton Mountain for primary care, both areas with too few family doctors to care for the people who live there.
The Mountain has 93 family doctors and requires 20 more. Stoney Creek has 47 physicians and is short eight. Physician recruitment and retention has had the most success in Stoney Creek, which was short 19 family doctors in 2009.
The report estimates that 48 Hamilton family physicians may be nearing retirement within the next few years. Recruiting to replace them will no longer be overseen by the city as the program is becoming an independent department of the local Ontario Health Team as of Feb. 28.
City council approved the transfer to the Greater Hamilton Health Network on Aug. 12 with the hope it will increase accountability and operational oversight while reducing inefficiencies. It's also expected to stabilize funding agreements and the staffing structure.
The city will continue to pay it's $75,000 share of the $180,000 cost and key performance indicators will be reported annually to the Board of Health. Other funders of the program include McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton Health Sciences and the Hamilton Family Health Team.
Plans to bring new doctors to Hamilton include attending recruitment events with a particular focus on the United States and the United Kingdom, advertising online and an increased social media presence.
In the coming years, the program will foster stronger relationships with long-term care organizations as this field will likely require increasing support in the future," stated the report.
Joanna Frketich is a health reporter at The Spectator. jfrketich@thespec.com