Most walk-in clinics are not staffed by one long-term doctor. Several doctors work in shifts, including part-time doctors with regular sessions and locums filling in temporarily, so the doctor on Monday is often not the one on Thursday. CPSBC requires these clinics to keep a unified record, so your history stays connected when the doctor changes. [1][2]
What a locum is
A locum is a doctor who provides care on behalf of another (host) physician, typically during vacation, training, illness or parental leave. [3] Every doctor practising in BC must be licensed by CPSBC. For doctors practising in BC temporarily, CPSBC offers a locum licence: the monthly type covers one placement of up to three months; the annual type is for doctors with a permanent practice outside BC who do at least three placements a year, each up to three months. [4]
When a doctor is away, CPSBC expects them to arrange coverage, tell patients where to get care, keep the phone message current, and make sure critical test results are received and acted on. [5] You can check a doctor's licence status and practice address in CPSBC's public Registrant Directory. [6]
What CPSBC requires of walk-in clinics
| Requirement | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| A unified record accessible to all doctors; a cumulative patient profile (CPP) for ongoing patients | A new doctor is not starting from zero [1][2] |
| The ordering doctor is responsible for following up tests and referrals unless explicitly handed over to another doctor or NP | Ask who will contact you about results [1] |
| If you have a family doctor, the clinic sends them a visit summary and tests ordered, unless you object | Your family doctor sees what happened [1] |
| Patients without a family doctor who attend regularly are presumed to get primary care there, and the clinic must offer ongoing care | You can ask for continuing follow-up [1] |
| After-hours coverage and on-site PharmaNet access are required | Doctors can see your province-wide dispensing history [1] |
Why seeing the same doctor matters
A 2018 systematic review in BMJ Open covered 22 studies from nine countries; 18 found that greater continuity with doctors was associated with lower mortality. The authors note all studies were observational and effect sizes were generally small. [7]
A Norwegian registry study of about 4.55 million people (British Journal of General Practice, 2022) found that people with the same GP for over 15 years, compared with one year, had roughly 25 to 30% lower odds of using out-of-hours care, acute hospital admission and death. [8] BC's family physician payment schedule itself defines relational continuity as the ongoing, trusting, therapeutic relationship between a patient and their family doctor. [3]
How to see the same doctor at a walk-in
- Ask the front desk which doctors work there regularly and on which days, and go on those days.
- Book an appointment with a named doctor when possible; walk-in queues usually mean whoever is on shift.
- Ask whether the doctor or clinic takes ongoing patients. If you have no family doctor, also register with the Health Connect Registry (see our related guide).
- After tests or referrals, ask who will follow up and when to call if you hear nothing. [1]
- If you have a family doctor, give the clinic their name so a visit summary can be sent. [1]
- Keep your own medication list and test results to show any new doctor.
Records stay with the clinic, not the doctor
At a walk-in, your chart lives in the clinic's system, not in a doctor's personal files. Shared-record clinics must have a written agreement on custody, and when a doctor leaves, records must be transferred or stored safely for at least 16 years. [9][2]
Patients own the information in their records and can view or get a copy, usually within 30 business days. If a locum has left, you can still ask the clinic for past records. See our medical records guide for the process and fees. [9]
How the 2023 payment model affects continuity
BC's Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) payment model took effect on February 1, 2023. Enrolled doctors are paid based on time, patient interactions, and the size and complexity of their patient panel, not only per visit. [10]
- Enrolled doctors must provide longitudinal, relationship-based care, have at least 250 empanelled patients within four months, and keep their panel in the Provincial Attachment System. [3]
- Clinic services to non-panel patients may not exceed 30% of a doctor's clinic-based services. [3]
- Locums covering an LFP doctor bill under LFP rules and must not provide exclusively virtual care. [3]
- As of February 2024, about 4,000 family doctors had registered, roughly 80% of those in primary care. [11]
For patients, a clinic may register you to a specific doctor. Unregistered patients can still be seen, but each doctor's non-panel care is capped. Arrangements vary, so ask your clinic.
Sources
- CPSBC practice standard: Primary Care Provision in Walk-in, Urgent Care and Multi-licensee Clinics
- CPSBC FAQ: Primary Care Provision (April 2026)
- BC government: LFP payment schedule (September 1, 2026, PDF)
- CPSBC: locum licence
- CPSBC practice standard: Availability and Coverage
- CPSBC: registrant directory
- Pereira Gray et al., BMJ Open 2018: continuity of care and mortality
- Sandvik et al., British Journal of General Practice 2022: continuity in general practice (Norway)
- CPSBC practice standard: Medical Records Management
- BC government news release: new payment model for family doctors (2023)
- Global News: 4,000 B.C. family doctors registered in payment model (2024)