Patients in Ontario Struggle with Centralized Doctor Waitlist

Patients in Ontario seeking family doctors are expressing growing frustration with the province’s centralized waitlist system, known as Health Care Connect (HCC). Many individuals, like Anne Bradley, a cancer survivor from Kingston, have found themselves caught in a cycle of waiting for care. After her doctor retired in 2017, Bradley registered with HCC, only to be matched with a physician in Kemptville, located approximately 140 kilometres away. Recently, when that doctor reduced their patient roster, Bradley was placed back on the waitlist, deepening her skepticism about the effectiveness of the system.

The HCC is intended to serve as a comprehensive list for Ontarians seeking primary care. When a spot becomes available at a clinic, the next individual on the list is supposed to be contacted. Yet, in communities like Ottawa and Kingston, many clinics have opted to manage their own patient lists, leading to long lines of hopeful patients eager for access to a new doctor.

Bradley commented, “I find it baffling. Why go through that process of having people line up to get in when [the clinics] could just access the list?” This sentiment reflects a broader concern about the purpose and function of the HCC.

Lack of Communication and Coordination

The situation raises questions about the coordination between HCC and local clinics. Jess Rogers, CEO of the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario, acknowledged that while the concept of a centralized list is sound, many clinics appear to lack awareness of the proper processes. “It’s not intentionally fighting with one another. I think it’s really with the best of intentions that every community is trying to get people in to care for as quickly as possible,” Rogers stated. She emphasized that improved communication between the province and primary care clinics is essential for resolving these issues.

According to the latest report from Ontario’s Auditor General, Shelley Spence, the Ministry of Health has not updated its HCC communications plan since 2015. The report indicates that many Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) informed the ministry in December 2024 that they “do not support updating the existing legacy HCC tool as it is no longer fit for purpose.” The report highlighted that HCC is outdated, having been established in 2009, and requires redesign to integrate effectively with OHTs.

The auditor’s findings reveal that of the 178,000 individuals on the HCC waitlist as of June 2025, more than 108,000 had been waiting for over a year for a primary care provider. The conclusion was stark: “HCC has not fully met the needs of Ontarians.”

Government Response and Community Initiatives

In response to mounting concerns, a spokesperson for the Minister of Health stated that the HCC waitlist had decreased by 65 percent this year, with plans to continue this reduction into spring 2026. As part of a broader $2.1 billion Primary Care Action Plan, the government aims to connect every individual on the HCC waitlist to primary care by January 1, 2025.

In the Ottawa region, new and expanded primary care teams are expected to accommodate an additional 40,000 patients. Despite these efforts, an estimated two million people across Ontario remain without a primary care provider as of 2024, according to INSPIRE-Primary Health Care, a network of primary care researchers and stakeholders.

Amid these systemic challenges, volunteer initiatives are stepping in to bridge the gap. Cynthia Boucher, who helps manage the Facebook group Ottawa Doctors Search, noted that the group actively seeks open slots at clinics throughout the city. With 8,300 patients on their rapidly growing list, the demand far exceeds the available opportunities. Boucher expressed the urgency of the situation, stating, “I wish that we weren’t in this position, but we are and it’s a community base that needs to fill that role where the information isn’t getting to citizens.”

The ongoing struggles faced by patients like Anne Bradley illustrate the significant hurdles within Ontario’s healthcare system. As the provincial government seeks to modernize and streamline services, the effectiveness of these efforts remains to be seen.