Recruiting regional primary care leads for cancer care ontario.

Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) is a provincial agency responsible for improving cancer outcomes in Ontario. With funding from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, CCO plans and delivers cancer programs in partnership with 13 Regional Cancer Programs across the province. Over the past decade, CCO’s Clinical Programs group has worked with clinicians in the Regional Cancer Programs to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of cancer services from diagnosis through to long-term follow-up and palliative care.1 The Ontario Cancer Plan 2008-20112 recognized that primary care providers played a critical role in cancer care throughout the cancer journey. They greatly influenced patient understanding of and participation in cancer screening, and were particularly important players in improving cancer screening and early detection rates for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. Family physicians are highly trusted advisers, helping to ensure that the cancer system meets local patient care needs throughout the cancer journey while providing ongoing care to patients and their families. However, up until 2008 family doctors had not traditionally been included by CCO in planning, coordinating, and developing services to improve the quality of care for patients with cancer. In 2007, CCO and the Ontario College of Family Physicians cosponsored a symposium to seek advice from family doctors on how to improve the integration and engagement of primary care and the cancer system.3 Many recommendations were made, including appointing regional family physician leaders linked to the Regional Cancer Programs. Other jurisdictions have appointed regional primary care leaders integrated into the cancer system. The Uniting Primary Care and Oncology Network in Manitoba is designed to enhance partnerships between family physicians and the cancer system, and “lead FPs” in 18 group practices share electronic cancer care records, small group education, and patient perspectives.4 A report by Leese et al on primary care cancer lead clinicians in the United Kingdom helped clarify some of the challenges encountered in establishing a program in Ontario similar to the UK program.5 For example, UK leads do not have to be physicians, but they must have seniority or credibility, contacts and interest, ability in communication, and strategic planning skills. A description of the CCO provincial primary care and cancer engagement strategy has been published.6 In April 2008, CCO hired a Provincial Primary Care Lead (PPCL) to work on optimizing the engagement and integration of primary care and the cancer system. She was given a mandate to focus her attention initially on improving primary care cancer screening and early detection rates, particularly for colorectal cancer screening, with the long-term objective of improving the integration of primary care along the whole cancer journey. An essential strategy for fulfilling this mandate was to create a network of Regional Primary Care Leads (RPCLs) across the province. Accordingly, a process was undertaken to recruit RPCLs in each of the 13 Regional Cancer Programs. This document briefly summarizes that recruitment process.