An anticipated vacancy in palliative medicine was the trigger for the Palliative Care Physicians to define what it means to be a PCP in Victoria. Dr. Douglas McGregor and Dr. Leah MacDonald sought SIFEI funding to enable the group of physicians who support the end of life care through Victoria Hospice to have this very discussion. Additionally, the perspectives of other stakeholders were important to learn about, to determine how future priorities and areas of development might influence the service and staffing needs.
The physicians, whose areas of expertise include acute, community, and inpatient palliative care, spent a day defining their vision for palliative care services in Greater Victoria in the coming years. By coming together to create a draft association agreement, the team also found a better sense of their own group’s strengths, interests, and areas for development. The agreement has served as a springboard for discussions with stakeholders, prospective PCPs, and each other.