Hi all

I'm a British born Canadian citizen currently in the UK and planning a return to Canada, specifically New Brunswick. While I was in the UK I developed a medical condition that requires monitoring, so I was alarmed to read that there is a 2 year waiting list to get a GP in the province.

Does anyone in a similar situation have any experience on this, ie are there ways round this. My treatment in the UK is carried out by specialists, eg blood test every 3 months, so my only need for a gp is as a point of contact to officially give me a prescription.

Thanks

This may not be the problem it seems.

There are obviously advantages in having your own doctor. But sometimes a disadvantage if you're not happy with something about them.

In my time here there have been other posters in NB who actually preferred the walk-in availability rather than having their own. There are 'walk-in' doctors available so getting to see a doctor is not an issue, just having your own. Surprisingly, the walk-in doctors actually have appointments too.

Prior to living here, my wife's family were in Quebec. They had their family doctor/gp but it was typically a minimum two week wait for appointments.

They could get seen sooner, at the same office, but would see whichever doctor was available after turning up and waiting. So there was little advantage to them actually having their own family doctor.

The walk-in docs can make referrals in the same way.

If you have a connection to someone in NB who has their own doc, you may be able to get added that way and I've heard people say that pharmacists may know that doctors are willing too take some one.
There was a delay in me getting PR and rather than then going through the waiting time, my wife's doc agreed to include me in his list. Obvously that's a bit different and a big advantage but it shows it can be done.

This site may be of some use.

https://medimap.ca/en/walk-in-clinic-guide/

Can't comment on NB GP's but just wanted to advise that if your medical condition requires regular prescription medication, then in Canada, there is no flat fee prescription like in the UK. Rather, you pay the full cost unless you have extended health benefits through private insurance. This is typically offered by your employer and will usually come with a Copay - for me, I pay 20%, and the insurance company pays 80%. You might want to ensure you've factored that into any plans.

On that point, most, if not all provinces do have other options.
For those without employer/private plans New Brunswick has this as an option

Hi

Thanks for the replies.

I tend to think now I probably don't need a gp after all. Here in the UK my main contact is with the relevant hospital department who handles appointments etc and just notifies my gp as to which medications to prescribe.

It could very well end up working that way here too - or even someone in the hospital writing the prescriptions.
But you'd need to be in the system for that to happen, meaning a doctor from one of the walk-ins to make the referral.

Interesting, I didn't know that and it prompted me to check out the NL plan for shits and giggles. Its rather less generous than the NB one. Glad I have extended health benefits!

Be aware that the waiting list is a lot longer than 2 years. Five years and longer and still waiting is very common here in Fredericton. Waiting list for GP currently around 65000, up from 40000 last year.

You can wait all day in a walk-in clinic. ERs also operate as walk-in clinics and you can wait all day - and night- there too.

Once you get a referral to a specialist from a GP, waiting times vary. I see an opthalmologist and got a referral within a couple of months. My daughter however was referred to a neurologist and is still waiting 3 years later. She was seen annually in UK. She also waited 18 months for an ECG that the paediatrician in UK stated in a letter she should have on arrival.
So be very thorough in your research if you can.

NB is a fantastic province but access to healthcare is poor. If you didn’t already know, there is no private healthcare Bupa equivalent so you wait your turn…

As stated though, some have appointments. Looking through the ones in this city, most of them do have an appointment system.

Prior to having a family doc we had a few walk-in experiences without appointments and maximum wait was an hour. We've since waited longer than that with an appointment with our family doctor and an appointment system.

It's obviously better to have your own family doc - especially as we've generally been able to get appointments when we wanted them, same day even.

But my SD has had the need to see a doc a couple of times over the last year or so and she has a walk-in near to where she works and going there was a lot easier than the regular doc. She was given an appointment, seen on time and very happy with the lack of time wasted.

As with many things, experiences vary and I often wonder if this part of NB is well served (relatively speaking) because of the bilingual thing. There are 'French' and 'English' health authorities throughout NB but I think we have more of both than other places. Possibly between the two we're better served.

For example I've seen several reports that more of us here have family docs than other parts of NB.

Thanks to all who answered. All very interesting reading. FWIW, here in Scotland if I phone for an appointment with my GP it's usually for a month later unless you phone between 8 and 9 to get a same-day referral. Otherwise it's walk-in or A&E.