Health Care Connect can help you get matched with a local family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Sign up yourself, your whole family, or even your friends with this centralized provincial registry by using a valid Ontario health card. Follow the links at Health Care Connect, or simply call 811, and a care connector will begin the search to match you with a doctor or nurse practitioner who is accepting new patients in your community. Take the first step to get connected to health care in your community.
Health Care Connect is a service provided by Ontario HealthAtHome. Promotional materials provided by Middlesex London Ontario Health Team and Middlesex London Primary Care Network. Middlesex London Ontario Health Team is supported by funding from the Government of Ontario.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
HOW DO I REGISTER?
You can register online at Health Care Connect or you can also register by phone by calling 811, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To sign up for the program, you will be asked for your name, address, health card number and some basic health information that will help determine your health needs.
Simply go to ontario.ca/healthcareconnect to find all the information you will need.
HOW LONG WILL I BE ON THE WAITING LIST?
Joining Health Care Connect does not guarantee that a family doctor or nurse practitioner will be found for you immediately. Those who need urgent care will be placed first.
Your request will be given to a Health Care Connect nurse, called a care connector, in your community and they will review your request and try to find you the right family doctor or nurse practitioner in your community that is accepting new patients.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I AM MATCHED WITH A DOCTOR OR NURSE PRACTITIONER?
When a match is found, you will either receive a letter from the Ministry of Health indicating your potential attachment or you may be called directly by the doctor/nurse practitioner with whom you have been matched.
There is also the possibility you may receive a call or email directly from Health Care Connect regarding your attachment, but it will be the doctor/NP clinic that will make the connection with you to book an initial appointment.
WHAT IF I DON’T WANT THE PROVIDER THEY CONNECT ME WITH?
If you choose not to accept the nurse practitioner or family doctor that was selected for you, that decision is completely up to you. However, if you want Health Care Connect to keep looking for a provider for you, you will have to register again.
WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I NEED IMMEDIATE HEALTH CARE WHILE WAITING TO BE CONNECTED TO A PROVIDER?
If it is an emergency, call 911 or visit your local emergency department.
Virtual urgent care is available for your whole family. Connect with a nurse practitioner through a secure video chat from the comfort and convenience of home with Urgent Care Ontario. This is a free service, covered by OHIP – all you need is an Ontario health card.
You can book a same-day or next-day online appointment with a nurse practitioner for coughs, colds, fevers, rashes, medicine questions, and other issues that are not life threatening but require urgent attention. You can call 1-877-620-5627 or visit urgentcareontario.ca.
You can also visit www.mloht.ca and search under the “For Public” tab to find health care services in our community.
Find additional services in your community by visiting the Health and Social Services page.