Opening the Door to Primary Care: Celebrating the Impact of Nurse Practitioners at TVFHT

Comprehensive, high-quality care, close to home 

This week, November 8 – 14, we celebrate National Nurse Practitioner Week, and recognize the vital role nurse practitioners (NP) play in the health of our communities.

Across Thames Valley Family Health Team (TVFHT), our team of NPs provide the full scope of primary care. They diagnose and treat illnesses, manage chronic conditions, provide prenatal care, prescribe medication, and support health promotion. Patients notice the difference: patient experience surveys show NPs scoring highly on approachability, communication, and respect.

Ray, a TVFHT patient, puts it this way: being cared for by a nurse practitioner is like “talking to your sister.”

Opening the door to primary care

At TVFHT, more people are being connected to NP-led, team-based care. A number of TVFHT clinics feature NPs in the Most Responsible Provider (MRP) role, meaning patients receive their care primarily from a nurse practitioner.

That work is helping to reduce the number of people in our community waiting for attachment, and shrink the Health Care Connect waitlist.  For patients, having access to a nurse practitioner as their primary care provider means having someone who knows their health history, helps coordinate their care, supports prevention, and works alongside them to achieve their health goals. The result is more connected, coordinated care and a better experience for patients and families.

Care is a team effort

NPs don’t do this alone. The model shares responsibility across nurse practitioners, physicians, interdisciplinary health professionals, administrative staff, and community partners. To support this work, TVFHT recently created a Nurse Practitioner Transformation Lead role and introduced new supports, including:

• Standardized intake materials
• A patient complexity tool that considers social determinants of health
• Patient handbooks
• Provider toolkits
• Care pathways

Ray’s story 

Behind every attachment target is a person. After his doctor retired in 2022, Ray went without a primary care provider and relied on urgent care and walk-in clinics while his health declined. Once he joined a TVFHT Nurse Practitioner clinic, his NP obtained his specialist records, reviewed his medications, and helped reduce his out-of-pocket costs. He also connected with a social worker and a pharmacist. This wrap-around team care supported him to quit smoking and improve his mental health.

“Now, I pick up the phone and get the next appointment,” Ray says. “It’s a huge weight lifted off my shoulder.” Looking ahead, he’s excited to go fishing and keep up with his grandkids. “I recommend a Nurse Practitioner to everyone,” he says. Read more of Ray’s story here.

Looking ahead

Work is underway to open two new clinics in London and Lambeth, as well as expand existing clinics through provincial access and attachment funding. As TVFHT grows this model, every number represents a real person getting consistent, coordinated care.

Nurse Practitioner Week is celebrated annually. In 2026, this celebration takes place November 8 to 14. During National Nurse Practitioner Week, we are privileged to celebrate the vital role of Nurse Practitioners in diagnosing, treating, prescribing, and providing patient-centered primary care.

Want to become a patient? If you live in Elgin, London, Middlesex, or Oxford, learn more at www.thamesvalleyfht.ca/become-a-patient.