New and Emerging
Primary Care Team Expansion – First Call for Proposals Now Open
Updated: April 15, 2025
The Ontario government has launched a call for proposals to create and expand 80 interprofessional primary care teams. This is the first step in its broader commitment to connect all Ontarians to primary care by 2029, led by the Primary Care Action Team (PCAT) under the leadership of Dr. Jane Philpott.
The OCFP has long championed the need for all family physicians to have access to team-based support, and we view this announcement as a positive step forward.
The OCFP’s Board of Directors met with Dr. Philpott on Friday, following Thursday’s announcement, to discuss the proposal process and PCAT’s long-term vision. We value the opportunity to engage in a direct conversation, offer our initial reflections and outline both the potential benefits and the concerns associated with the current approach.
We are encouraged to see that the government has adopted a more targeted strategy—focusing on 125 postal codes with the highest number of unattached patients—and is streamlining the application process by requiring collaboration with local Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) and Primary Care Networks (PCNs). We also welcome the increased flexibility for more family physicians to join or form new interprofessional teams.
At the same time, we raised our concerns, including the short application timeline and the constraints associated with a process based primarily on creating or joining existing interprofessional care models such as FHTs and CHCs. We underscored the need for more flexible, model-agnostic approaches, and it is our understanding that innovative approaches to providing increased access to care may be reviewed.
Dr. Philpott is committed to ongoing collaboration, and we are optimistic about how we can work together to shape future calls for proposals, with the next round expected in September 2025. The OCFP is committed to bringing solutions to the table and to work together towards ensuring every Ontarian has access to a family physician supported by a team.
For details on how family physicians can participate in this initial call for proposals, please refer to “Scenarios for Expansion and New Teams.” For those interested, I encourage you to reach out to your OHT or PCN as soon as possible. If you are unsure who to contact, reach out to your Ontario Health region contact for guidance and support with proposal development.
A recap of key details:
- Deadline for submissions: May 2, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.
- Targeted implementation date: Summer 2025
- Process: OHTs and PCNs will coordinate and submit proposals (the only exception is for Indigenous-led proposals, which are encouraged, but not required to collaborate with their local OHTs).
- Geographic focus: Serving residents in one of 125 postal codes, each with an average of 8,000 unattached patients
- Next call for proposals: Anticipated for September 2025