Primary Care Networks - Steering Committees

The Vancouver Division of Family Practice (VDoFP) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) have partnered to develop Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in Vancouver. Each of the 6 PCNs will be supported by a PCN Steering Committee. Each committee’s core membership will include a convenor (VDoFP Board member), 3 Family Doctors, a Nurse Practitioner and a Patient Partner. Additional membership will be considered as determined by the needs and scope of the PCNs and the committees’ work.

Working together with other members of the PCNs, each committee will provide strategic guidance for the development and implementation of a local, coordinated, and comprehensive primary care delivery system which promotes and advances accessibility, attachment, affordability and high-quality care for all members of the community as described in the PCN Core Attributes.

Over the course of the next year, the PCN Steering Committees will begin by working together with a Steering Committee Facilitator to develop and implement a smaller-scale project based on a thorough understanding of the makeup and needs of the PCN, in keeping with the PCN Core Attributes. Learnings from this process and outcomes will inform the ongoing evolution of PCN Steering Committees to ensure they represent the providers within and ultimately meet the needs of patients, the system and the community.

Each committee will utilize a coordinated workflow that will allow them to support their goals. We look forward to providing more updates from the PCN Steering Committees soon.

More Information

To be successful, Primary Care Networks need strong physician leadership and robust community connections. PCN Steering Committees are being utilized throughout the province, as a means of providing local leadership, engagement and collaboration. The Vancouver Division launched it’s PCN Steering Committees in October of 2020. In response to a shifting landscape, over the past year the Family Practice Services Committee (FPSC) has been refreshing the approach to Primary Care Networks (PCNs). The FPSC met with partners to discuss opportunities to improve the PCN model. You can find out more info on the refreshed PCN approach here.

The refreshed aim for PCNs is to improve patient access to quality primary care in five key priority areas:

Empowering physician leadership and community connections
Strengthening team-based care
Creating opportunities for innovative PCN clinic models
Engaging with First Nations
Strengthening supports for patient attachment