Interprofessional Teams
The Primary Care Network (PCN) Interprofessional Teams (IPTs) are Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) Allied Health Professionals and Community Primary Care Providers working together to support a patient’s medical, wellness and social needs. The Vancouver Division of Family Practice and VCH have partnered to implement IPTs as part of the PCN in your region.
Watch the video to find out more about the Interprofessional Teams and how they help to support team based care within the PCNs.
Building Capacity
How the Interprofessional Team can help you and your patients:
- Free for attached patients who do not have access to extended health benefits or other means of accessing funded allied health supports
- One referral form for all services (support to embed the referral form in most popular EMRs)
- Supports a culture or team based care
- Ability to conduct care conferences with IPT Clinicians
- Provide internal referral to other IPT allied health providers if needed
- Focus on mild to moderate health care needs (Pharmacist can support moderate to higher needs)
Allied Health Professionals
There are 5 different allied health specialties that support patients as part of the IPT, as well as the Intake Coordinators who support the referral process.
Registered Dietitian
Provide nutrition therapy and care through health promotion, disease prevention and management of chronic diseases.
Clinical Counsellor
Provide psychoeducation, counselling and psychotherapy to support psychological and behavioral sources of mild to moderate distress.
Social Worker
Seek to address the social determinants of health that impact an individual, focusing on understanding the person in their environment.
Occupational Therapist
Provides needs based solutions in a community setting to improve client health and to enable participation in meaningful everyday activities of life.
Clinical Pharmacist
Contribute drug therapy expertise to optimize the care of patients with complex needs and conditions.
Intake Coordinator
IPT Intake Coordinators help to process referrals and ensure your patient's needs can be supported by the IPT.
Referring to the IPT
Primary Care Providers must be located in Vancouver and have access to the program to refer their attached patients.
Access to The IPT is limited and based on the program’s capacity as well as a clinic’s eligibility requirements. If you would like to check on your eligibility, please contact your Community Network Manager.
To refer your patient, they must be attached to you for ongoing support and meet the mild-to moderate program criteria. Once you send your referral in, you will receive a confirmation from the program. Intake will then assess your referral based on patient’s needs. If your patient’s care needs are appropriate, intake coordinators will triage them to the allied health service. If your patient’s care needs are not appropriate for the IPT, they will do their best to make other care suggestions to support your patient.
Virtual and In-person Appointments
Appointments are primarily virtual, but there are options for in-person appointments, should this better suit your patients. In person-appointments take place out of two locations in Vancouver.
Three Bridges Community Health Centre
Downtown Vancouver
#209 – 1128 Hornby St.
Oak Care Centre
South Vancouver
700 West 57th Ave.
IPT Engagement Series
This monthly online series focuses on connecting team members working together in PCNs. The goals of the series are to learn, connect and share questions and experiences to help IPT Clinicians and primary care providers referring to the IPT to optimize how they work together to support their patients. Click here to register for sessions and find out more!
Working Together to Enhance Team Based Care
This in-person event took place in June of 2024, and brought together Family Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, and IPT Clinicians working together in the Vancouver PCNs. The evening involved engagement, storytelling and information sharing to support team-based care. Read the summary report here.
Want to know more?
If you have questions or want to find out more about this program, please get in touch with your Community Network Manager or e-mail pcn@vancouverdivision.com.
You can also find information on the IPT Program on Pathways.
For Providers who have access to refer to the IPT, find helpful information including the referral form on the IPT SharePoint site (sign in required). Contact your Community Network Manager if you need sign in info.
