Thursday October 23, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc. | Island Social Trends
A new triage process for booking appointments at South Vancouver Island urgent and primary care centres (UPCCs) hass been announced by Island Halth.
Island Health calls this an “improved system” that will “better support patients to get the care they need, when and where they need it”.
People may still call a central appointment booking line for South Vancouver Island UPCC access at 1-833-688-8722.
Now a call-back for screening:
Beginning October 27, people seeking appointments will be called back by a registered nurse, who will assess their care needs and connect them to the appropriate services.
This is a new variation on UPCC triage … determining priority situations and assessing the best direction or approach for care.
This system puts a lot of onus on nurses to get it right, and the ability of the patient to explain their situation or needs clearly.
“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,” says Island Health.
An attempt to avoid delays:
Island Health says that the new process “benefits people by ensuring those with the most urgent care needs do not face delays in accessing care”.
“It also supports care teams in directing patients to the most appropriate health care provider,” said Island Health in their news release today.
Appropriate health care providers are listed as:
- 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.
Already in place elsewhere:
The new process is already being used at the Central Nanaimo UPCC and the Cowichan UPCC, as well as at UPCCs across the Lower Mainland.
Feedback from the Lower Mainland sites has been positive, with more patients being seen and quicker access to specialized care providers, like mental health clinicians, community pharmacists or registered nurses.
Previous methods at South Island UPCCs:
Over the past few years there were notorious outdoor lineups (in any kind of weather) to just get an appointment at a UPCC.
Some UPCCs — like West Shore UPCC in Langford — switched in March 2025 to a phone-in system for the option to get an appointment. Those calls have been triaged by front-line staff, if in fact a person could get through.
UPCCs in the South Island area include downtown Victoria, Esquimalt, Gorge, James Bay, North Quadra and West Shore.
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