In short, yes. There are times when a family doctor may end the relationship with a patient. But it has to be for a valid reason, and the doctor has to follow certain steps.
When a doctor can end the relationship
Some of the reasons that doctors may have:
- A breakdown in trust or a significant conflict
- Frequent missed appointments
- Abusive behaviour toward the doctor or the staff
- The doctor is moving, leaving family medicine, changing how they practise, or reducing or closing their practice for personal reasons
When a doctor can't
A doctor can't end the relationship because of your health, a diagnosis, or the medications you take. Under the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) policy, doctors also can't end it only because you didn't follow their advice (for example, about smoking or vaccines). And they can't end it because of discrimination, or because you refused to pay a block fee.
How it should happen
The doctor has to give you notice in writing and send it to you. The CPSO says doctors should explain the reasons, unless doing so isn't safe.
The CPSO doesn't set a fixed notice period. A period of about 6 to 12 weeks before the relationship ends is common. Its policy says doctors should keep providing the care you need for a reasonable time after ending the relationship, and it gives three months as an example.
During that time, the doctor still has to look after urgent needs and renew prescriptions when it is medically appropriate, and follow up on test results.
Your records
Your records are yours. You can ask for them, or ask for them to be sent to your new doctor. A reasonable fee may apply for a copy of your records.
What to do next
You have the same options as anyone else without a family doctor:
- Call clinics directly.
- Search DocMaps or iamsick.ca.
- Register with Health Care Connect, or contact your local Ontario Health Team's attachment process.
In the meantime, you can visit a walk-in clinic. You can also call 811 for help finding the right care in your area. Our Find a Family Doctor page has all of these in one place.
If you think it was unfair
You can contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, which handles complaints about doctors. First, read the letter carefully to see the reasons the doctor gave, and review the CPSO's policy to see whether those reasons are allowed.
If the reason was that your doctor is retiring or closing a practice, see what to do if your family doctor retired or closed their practice.