This represents a significant and exciting policy decision to include occupational therapists in the province’s newest primary health care model and gives opportunity to provide access to occupational therapy services to over 2 million Ontarians who are rostered with Family Health Teams.
Family Health Teams (FHTs) interested in adding an occupational therapist to their staff may submit a request as part of the 2010/2011 budget application process for funding effective as early as April 1, 2010. There is, however, no deadline or time restriction that limits application for funding to integrate OT services into a FHT.
The Ministry has forwarded information describing occupational therapy and providing insight into the types of roles and services that an occupational therapist might assume or provide. FHTS have been referred to the Society as a further resource for information about the role of OT in FHTs.
A salary benchmark has been approved that falls short of OSOT’s recommendation of $70,200 - $78,000. We understand the approved salary benchmark of $55,251 - $66,568 was established to be in keeping with current FHT and Community Health Centre salary ranges. Further to OSOT’s advocacy and positioning of data to support a need to review salaries in the primary care sector to ensure that this sector can compete fairly with other publicly funded sectors, we have been assured that a compensation review is being talked about. The Society will continue to promote the need for this review and assist in any way it can.
Supporting Members to learn about and position their services to Family Health Teams
The Society is committed to assist all members to become more familiar with Family Health Teams, their structures, foci and typical services. We believe that all occupational therapists should understand well how Ontario’s primary care sector works and interacts and supports other health care sectors.
Further, OSOT is committed to support members to identify and position their services to Family Health Teams and to help FHTs become familiar with valuable contributions occupational therapists can bring to their Team’s work to support the health of their rostered patients.
Watch for professional development resources to be offered this spring and at Conference 2010, September 24 – 25.
In the meantime, members are encouraged to be familiar with OSOT’s proposals for roles and services of occupational therapists working in FHTs.
See …..
OSOT’s Submission to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care,
Integrating Occupational Therapists into Ontario’s Family Health Teams, Recommendations from the Profession, January 2010
Executive Summary
Background to this Policy Announcement……
OSOT addresses implementation issues to engage OTs in Family Health Teams!
Further to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's commitment to fund occupational therapy services in Family Health Teams, OSOT was requested to assist the Ministry to address four key questions relating to implementation of the policy and integration of OTs into Family Health Teams. These included;
- Identifying the ratio of patients served to Occupational Therapists. How many OTs would be required to serve a particular FHT population in order to make funding of OT services in FHTs meaningful?
- Further information about whether OTs would expect direct or indirect access to Family Health Team clients?
- Further information on how OTs might be best integrated into FHTs?
- Further information to assist the Ministry to establish on the salary funding benchmarks for an Occupational Therapist in a FHT?
View OSOT's submission to address these questions and position occupational therapists to assume meaningful, important roles in Ontario's growing Family Health Team Sector. OSOT identified the following key inputs;
- a recommendation of a ratio of 1 occupational therapist for every 5000-7000 rostered patients (range allows for regional differences that may affect the populations' access to health services - e.g. northern and rural areas may need a lower ratio to accomodate geographic area served)
- a recommendation of several acceptable integration models which would be best selected by individual FHTs to ensure OT services best meet the needs of the Team and the patients it serves
- assertion that OTs work in a collaborative framework where access to service is determined by FHT policy and procedure as OTs are not bound to work under a physician referral
- a recommendation that FHT hiring practices and compensation models be structured to attract experienced OT clinicians with a minimum of 3 - 5 years experience.
- a recommendation of a salary range based on a 37.5 hour week compensated at a range of $70,200 - $78,000/ annum and complemented by a benefits program
OSOT anticipates a response from the Ministry in the near future which will communicate to Family Health Teams in the province their decisions about implementation guidelines for OTs. OSOT is developing resources to assist both FHTs and occupational therapists to explore and engage this exciting new initiative!
For more information about Family Health Teams click here.
