Using the service

Updated November 18, 2024

Table of contents: 

• Who can use the service
• Expectations for using the service
• Communications toolkit
• Sign up to use After Hours Care with your patients

Who can use the service

• Longitudinal family physicians who are members of the following divisions of family practice and longitudinal nurse practitioners who are within the geographic boundaries of the following divisions of family practice can sign up to use the after hours service with their patients:
  • Langley Division of Family Practice
  • Shuswap North Okanagan Division of Family Practice
  • South Okanagan Similkameen Division of Family Practice
  • South Island Division of Family Practice
  • Thompson Region Division of Family Practice
  • Victoria Division of Family Practice
     
• You may register to use the service with your patients without committing to working any shifts.

Expectations for using the service

• Rapid access appointments are an extension of your office when your clinic is closed. We ask that you set aside 2-5 rapid access appointments each week so that you can fit in any suggested follow-ups. Rapid access to appointments are based on the encounter a family doctor working the service had with your patient.
• The After Hours Care program only operates from 5:00 p.m.—9:00 a.m. weekdays, and 24 hours on weekends and holidays; in order to be compliant with the CPSBC practice standard, you must still arrange coverage for any time your practice is closed on weekdays between 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.
• The After Hours Care program is not meant to serve as a replacement for a locum or other alternative arrangements when you are on vacation or absent due to illness or for another reason. It is, however, entirely appropriate for your locum to use the After Hours Care program to cover your practice during the program’s service hours, provided you have signed up to use the service with your patients.

Communications toolkit

We've developed materials for family practices to share with patients to support you in communicating about the After Hours Care program.

These materials include:

• Poster to help patients choose the right health service.
• General poster about After Hours Care with direction for patients to call their family practice clinic.
• Clinic messaging templates and scripts including:
• Emails to patients
• Information to add to clinic email signature blocks
• Clinic voicemails
• Information to add to clinic websites

Sign up to use After Hours Care with your patients

Sign up now to have your patients receive care through After Hours Care when your practice is closed evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. Please ensure all family physicians and/or nurse practitioners in your clinic sign up to use the program. To simplify patient communications, please ask all family physicians and nurse practitioners in your clinic to sign up for After Hours Care. If you have any questions, please contact AHCP@doctorsofbc.ca.