No family doctor? B.C. residents encouraged to sign up for Health Connect Registry
People in British Columbia who are without a family doctor or nurse practitioner are being encouraged to sign up for the province’s Health Connect Registry, a centralized system designed to match patients with available primary care providers.
Health officials say building a long-term relationship with a primary care provider is a key step toward maintaining overall health, and the registry helps connect residents to doctors or nurse practitioners in their communities as they become available.
Registration takes less than five minutes and requires basic information, including a Personal Health Number (PHN), home address, and contact details. Residents can also provide optional updates about recent or ongoing health concerns to help improve the matching process.
Once registered, individuals are placed on a secure, community-based list that is shared with local attachment co-ordinators who work to connect patients with providers accepting new patients.
The registry is open to any B.C. resident who does not currently have a family doctor or nurse practitioner. People can sign up for themselves, family members, or those in their care. Officials note that anyone who already has a primary care provider does not need to register.
Residents who previously joined waitlists at local clinics may already be included, as many of those lists have been transitioned into the provincial registry. Those individuals can choose to re-register or wait to be contacted, while maintaining their original waitlist date.
While waiting to be matched, residents can still access a range of health services across the province. By calling 811, people can speak with a health service navigator for advice and referrals, with translation services available in more than 130 languages. Pharmacists can also help with minor ailments, prescription renewals, and contraceptives, while urgent and primary care centres offer same-day treatment for non-emergency issues.
Indigenous residents can access additional culturally safe care through virtual services, including the First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day.
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