Hay River clinic booking system unfair, say patients

Anne Walsh just wanted a prescription refill. 

The appointment itself took ten minutes, but getting it was an ordeal. It meant catching a ride to the Hay River Regional Health Centre at 7:45 a.m., taking a number, waiting an hour, getting an appointment and then having her boss drive her back that afternoon to see a doctor.

"I dread having to go to the doctor or see anyone because it's a matter of spending most of your day just getting an appointment, let alone seeing someone," says Walsh. 

I dread having to go to the doctor or see anyone because it's a matter of spending most of your day just getting an appointment. - Anne Walsh

She went home that day and launched a petition to get the health centre to rethink how it handles appointments. 

"There's so many different things that don't seem fair in the way it's done," she says. 

The CEO of the health centre, Erin Griffiths, says the clinic has tried multiple systems, from a first-come-first-served walk-in clinic, to a phone booking system. But everything has its flaws. 

"It doesn't matter what system we've put in place in the past, it seems like there's pros and cons to both," she says.

"We've heard a lot of positive [feedback] about the ticket system, because people are not on the phone trying to get an appointment for half an hour, 45 minutes in the morning every morning."

Griffiths says the system is, however, up for review as the health centre conducts a six-month review following its move into the new building. 

Not enough appointments

Some community members say they have been turned away after waiting with a number, because the clinic was out of appointments. 

"They're going there on a limb," says Tracey Boucher, who says she's had her own frustrations getting help there.

"It's not definite that you're getting an appointment, it's a what-if." 

Some of that squeeze on appointments could be due to the number of no-shows. Griffiths says the clinic sees about 1,450 people per month, but 15 per cent of patients fail to show up.

She stresses that patients who can't make their appointments should call in to free up their spot for someone else.

The Northwest Territories has the second-highest rate of people without a family doctor in Canada, at 58 per cent — the national average is just 15 per cent. Griffiths, however, says she doesn't believe that's a factor in the number of people visiting the walk-in clinic.

Accessibility problems

None of the people criticizing the booking system fault the quality of care, which they all agree is good. But a common thread in their complaints is that for many people using the health centre, even getting there once can be a big expense — or at least a major hassle.

"I think of people having to pay for a cab to go in and get a number, and then go home and pay for another cab to go back," says Walsh, who does not own a car herself.

"I'm healthy, I can walk there, that's fine. But what about people that have no vehicle, and they're handicapped? Seniors who have a hard time moving, or anyone who has a hard time moving?"