Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So in my statement, I spoke about the need for every resident in the territory to be attached or assigned to an integrated primary care team to have a relationship with a nurse practitioner or a physician as part of a team who knows the patient, knows their history. And the HSS report released last year called Equitable Access, Co-designing an Integrated Primary and Community Healthcare Framework, identified a goal of fully functional integrated care teams by 2028. So my question for the Minister of HSS, is HSS publicly committing to have every resident in the territory attached to a fully functional integrated primary care team by 2028? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, the department has made this commitment. Fully functional means teams are appropriately staffed so that care is sustainable and relationship based. My goal is to progress towards an improved patient attachment to care teams while ensuring implementation is safe, sustainable, and responsive. The first step is the publication of the North Star primary care and community care framework in May 2026 of this year. Once the framework is public, the department will focus on developing guidelines for patient attachment and setting clearer expectations for team-based care. And this may look different where you live in the territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's good to hear the Minister make that commitment publicly.
So does the HSS actually have a plan for acquiring the human resources needed to staff all of those integrated care teams? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yes, right now we are working on the people strategy which is part of that. It's also a key strategy in the primary community health care framework. Integrated care teams include physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, Indigenous health workers, community health representatives, administrative staff, mental wellness and social supports. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Yellowknife North.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So finally, has HSS already identified standards or guidelines to ensure that the number of patients assigned to any one team is safe and manageable for practitioners? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the Northwest Territories, there isn't a jurisdiction that's comparable to us, and with the changes to team-based care currently going through the rest of Canada, at this time there isn't one place that's ahead of us so there is no fixed panel size that's appropriate across all communities or care models. So panel sizes must consider patient complexity, the members on the care team, scope of practice, the environment where the care is being provided, and administrative support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from Range Lake.
