Looking for a family doctor in Toronto can be overwhelming — but don’t get discouraged, we’re here to help.
TL;DR
- Having a family doctor or nurse practitioner that you see over time can improve your health and well-being. They can help identify the root cause rather than just treating symptoms, and work on prevention and early detection for many diseases.
- You can find a family doctor by walking around your neighbourhood, asking your friends, visiting your local community health centre or calling 211 and 811.
- You can use provincial and municipal databases, as well as online reviews, to learn more about your doctor and clinic.
📸: Yara El Murr/The Green Line.
Last December, the Ontario Medical Association stated that 2.5 million Ontarians didn’t have access to a family physician. If you’re one of them, or if you simply want a new doctor closer to you or more aligned with your needs, keep reading.
Having a family doctor or nurse practitioner that you see over time can improve your health and well-being, according to the Canadian Medical Association. That’s because family physicians get to know your medical history. They can help identify the root cause rather than just treating symptoms, and work on prevention and early detection for many diseases. They can prescribe medication, manage chronic illnesses and refer you to specialists.
Keep in mind that seeing a family doctor in Ontario is free if you have the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). However, you don’t need OHIP to see a doctor — but you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket or with private insurance. Some community clinics offer free or subsidized health services to patients without OHIP, but make sure to check with them first.
How to find a family doctor/nurse practitioner
1. Walk around your neighbourhood
The best way to find a doctor near you is to walk around your neighbourhood to spot clinics with “Accepting new patients” signs (or something similar).
Usually, the signs will have a phone number or website with more information on how to sign up.
2. Ask your friends and neighbours
Word-of-mouth is key to finding many services in the city.
If you know people — friends, neighbours, coworkers — who live in the same area as you, don’t be afraid to ask them if their clinic is taking new patients.
If you have a family doctor you like, let your friends who live nearby know. If you’ve had a terrible experience, give them a heads-up as well.
3. Visit your local community health centre
There are more than a dozen community health centres across Toronto, from East to West. Many offer basic health-care services and/or have staff who can connect you to clinics accepting new patients.
To find a community health centre near you, check out this map by 211 Ontario.
4. Call 211 Ontario
Speaking of 211, you can call or text the hotline any day of the week, at any time. Operators can point you to agencies that can help.
5. Register for Ontario’s Health Care Connect
When you register yourself (or even your whole family) for Health Care Connect, a staff member will search for a doctor or nurse practitioner who’s accepting new patients in your area and connect you to them.
You can sign up online or by calling 811.
Keep in mind, there’s a waitlist, with priority given to those with urgent needs.
How to vet your doctor
Having a family doctor is a great first step, but to truly ensure your health stays on track, you have to trust them.
The first and most obvious thing is to book an introductory appointment, which many practitioners require. In this initial visit, you can share your medical history, including past surgeries, current conditions and medications you take and any concerns you want to discuss. It’s also a good time to do a vibe check to see if the doctor is a good fit for you.
If you want to learn more about your doctor, we put together a list of resources. This applies to any practice, not just family medicine — which means you can use these same steps to look up your gynecologist, neurologist, etc.
1. Look up your doctor in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) database
You can search the CPSO database by first and last name. You’ll be able to see if your doctor is registered and permitted to practice, if they have any current or past tribunal proceedings or other important notifications, including resignations.
Each doctor’s profile also includes their gender, languages spoken, medical school, date of graduation, specialties, clinic address and phone number.
2. Look up your doctor’s name in your social engine and social media platforms
It’s a good sign if you don’t find anything. If there’s any major scandal you should know about, it’ll likely be in the news. (From personal experience, I found out on Twitter — I’m not calling it X — that a specialist I had seen was under investigation for bad hygiene practices, and that she retired after complaints.)
3. Check if people left reviews online
You can also look up your clinic on Google to check ratings and reviews, or look up your doctor on Ratemds.com. Keep in mind that online reviews can be skewed, so don’t base your opinion on just one stranger’s experience.
4. Check Toronto’s Infection Prevention & Control (IPAC) Investigations
You can see when Toronto Public Health (TPH) is investigating or has investigated a clinic for infection prevention and control. You’ll be able to see what TPH found, what it recommended and if the issues were resolved. PS: This also applies to dental clinics, nail salons and tattoo shops.
If you have more questions or need help finding resources in a particular neighbourhood, email me at yara@thegreenline.to and I’ll do my best to look into it.
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