Ontario Connecting Over 33,000 More People to Primary Care in Elgin-Middlesex-London
May 1, 2026
ST. THOMAS — The Ontario government is taking the next steps to deliver its Primary Care Action Plan, which is on track to connect everyone in the province to a family doctor or primary care provider by 2029.
As part of this plan to connect everyone in Ontario to a publicly funded family doctor or primary care team, the Ontario government is investing nearly $15 million this year to connect up to 33, 063 people to primary care in Elgin-Middlesex-London.
“This is real, tangible progress for people across Elgin and Middlesex. Connecting more than 33,000 residents to primary care means more families will have the stability and peace of mind that comes with access to a doctor close to home”, said Rob Flack, MPP of Elgin-Middlesex-London. Our community is growing, and we are continuing to strengthen local health care to meet that need. I’m proud to work alongside our local partners to help more people get connected to the care they need, when and where they need it.”
Thames Valley Family Health Team in both Elgin and Middlesex London will establish a process to accept new patients and will communicate this to their local community.
The Thames Valley Family Health Team was funded through the latest call for proposals under the Primary Care Action Plan, with all 124 teams receiving funding expected to connect another 500,000 patients to primary care across Ontario. Each team has established a plan to attach a high proportion of unattached people in their community, including those on the Health Care Connect waitlist.
Through the 2026 Budget, the province is also increasing overall funding for the plan to a total of $3.4 billion between 2025 and 2029.
“Thames Valley Family Health Team is proud to continue our work with the Ontario Health Teams and Primary Care Networks in Elgin, Middlesex, and London to expand access to team-based primary health care close to home”, said Mike McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of the Thames Valley Family Health Team. “We thank the Government of Ontario for this significant investment, which allows us to take a coordinated step forward in improving how people access and receive health care in their community. He continued “[i]n service to our community, and together with our partners, we will build and grow local healthcare teams so more people can connect to primary health care earlier and get the support they need to live healthier lives.”
The province has also exceeded its 2025-2026 attachment goal under the Primary Care Action Plan, which was to connect 300,000 patients to a primary care provider by March 31, 2026. As of January 1, 2026, the province has already attached 330,000 people to care in 2025-2026, surpassing its goal by more than 30,000 with three months still to go.
“Through our Primary Care Action Plan, we are connecting more people to care and have already exceeded our 2025-26 attachment target,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By connecting more families to care in Elgin-Middlesex-London, our government is taking the next step toward connecting everyone in the province to primary care by 2029.”
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to grow the province’s highly skilled health-care workforce and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care, closer to home, for generations to come.
QUICK FACTS
- Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team is drawing on best-in-class models of care to implement its action plan, supported by the government’s investment of more than $3.4 billion to connect approximately two million more people to primary care by 2029, which will achieve the government’s goal of connecting everyone in the province to primary care.
- The government is making significant progress on its goal of clearing the Health Care Connect waitlist as of January 1, 2025. That waitlist has been reduced by more than 87 per cent as the plan continues to hit its targets and deliver faster access to high-quality care.
- Ontarians looking to find a family doctor or nurse practitioner can register with Health Care Connect or call 811.
- Interprofessional primary care teams connect people to a range of health professionals that work together under one roof, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses, physician assistants, physiotherapists, social workers, dieticians and pharmacists, helping patients to receive more connected and convenient care.
- Since 2018, Ontario has added nearly 20,000 additional physicians to its health-care workforce, including an over 14 per cent increase in family doctors.
Media Contact:
Emily Bradshaw
Office of Rob Flack, MPP
emily.bradshaw@pc.ola.org