Belleville City Council approved an amended motion that would call on staff to draft a strengthened medical services agreement that would set minimum roster sizes for nurse practitioners and medical doctors, require ongoing roster reporting, and to limit rostering to Belleville residents only.
The amended motion was brought forward Councillor Paul Carr and approved unanimously in a recorded vote on Monday.
Mayor Neil Ellis noted that he was in favour of the amendment but expressed concern about the section regarding only limiting rostering to Belleville residents.
He said in cases where a new doctor takes over an existing practice, that practice may include patients from outside city limits.
Mayor Ellis warns forcing them to exclude those patients might jeopardize the transfer of the practice, noting that this would need to be carefully worded when staff draft the changes.
When asked for an update on recruitment efforts, Manager of Physician Recruitment and Retention at the City of Belleville, Karen Poste, indicated that at the start of council’s term, the city needed 30 new family physicians.
She says at this time, 25 new family doctors have been recruited, with the belief that the remaining five doctors needed can be recruited within the next year.
The strengthened draft medical services agreement will be brought forward to council at a future meeting.
