Island Health is updating how it triages patients at its South Island urgent and primary care centres (UPCCs) who call to book an appointment.

Starting on Oct. 27, when people call to book an appointment at a UPCC at 1-833-688-8722 they will be called back by a registered nurse who will “assess their care needs and connect them to the appropriate services.”

Island Health says this new step will help patients with more urgent needs get seen sooner by health care workers.

“It also supports care teams in directing patients to the most appropriate health care provider,” said Island Health in its announcement Thursday. 

“This could be a physician or nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, mental health and substance use clinician or social worker. It could also be someone in the community, like a pharmacist,” said the health authority.

Island Health notes that this new triage phone process is already in use at the Central Nanaimo UPCC and the Cowichan UPCC, as well as at “UPCCs across the Lower Mainland.”

Overall, feedback on the triage process in the Lower Mainland has been “positive,” according to Island Health, with patients generally getting faster access to specialized care providers, such as mental health clinicians or pharmacists.

“Many nurses at South Island UPCCs are certified to offer services that patients would traditionally receive from physicians and nurse practitioners, including the ability to assess, diagnose and treat certain conditions,” said Island Health.

Earlier this week, Island Health also announced that a new UPCC had opened in Duncan at 940 Government St.

The urgent and primary care centre officially opened its doors on Monday, Oct. 20.

READ MORE: New urgent and primary care centre opens in Duncan

The new Duncan UPCC is intended to provide same-day urgent care to patients who do not require care at an emergency department, with the eventual goal of attaching long-term primary care to residents in the Cowichan Valley.

The UPCC will eventually be staffed by more than 30 full-time-equivalent health care professionals, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, mental-health clinicians and administrative staff.

— With files from CHEK’s Jeff Lawrence