Well-Known Trent Hills Physician Retiring March 2022

Dr. Bob Henderson Retiring after 45 Years of Practice in Campbellford

Retirement Date is March 31, 2022…No Replacement for his 1,290 Patients yet

Recruitment by the Physician Recruitment Committee has been ongoing

Trent Hills - Tues. Dec. 7, 2022 - The Trent Hills Family Health Team is announcing that one of their most senior physicians will be retiring and closing his practice by end of March 2022.

Dr. Bob Henderson, who has been in practice in Campbellford since 1977, will retire March 31st, 2022.

Dr. Henderson has served the entire Trent Hills community in several roles, including Chief of Staff of Campbellford Memorial Hospital for many years. He has helped train new generations of family physicians through his affiliation with the University of Toronto’s department of Family and Community Medicine and the Rural Ontario Medical Program.

He was also instrumental in forming one of the province’s first Family Health Networks in 2002 and then Family Health Teams in 2005. Additionally, he has cared for some of our most fragile citizens, in local nursing homes and the Bridge Hospice, Warkworth, the latter of which he championed from when it was just an idea, through to serving on the board and as chair.

All of the physicians in the Team understand how announcements of this nature may cause stress and apprehension for affected patients. They also understand the impact that physician retirements or departures have on the broader community, including our small local hospital, pharmacies and interdisciplinary health professionals.

The Team has now had several meetings, in-house and with local representatives, ahead of this announcement. We have focused on discussing short and long-term planning, along with new ideas, around how the remaining physicians might respond to the challenges presented.

While you are processing this announcement, so too is your Family Health Team, who will be losing the support of a valuable colleague. As physicians, we do have a fixed capacity to provide safe and effective healthcare and while we would ideally like to serve all those requiring and requesting a family doctor, we regret we cannot at this time.

Community members might ask how the local Physician Recruitment Committee can respond to such a challenge. You can rest assured that recruitment to the community has been ongoing and remains a priority. Much of the work of the Committee happens in the background, with ongoing partnerships and communication with the Province, helping to raise the profile of the community to interested physicians. The impact of the global pandemic has certainly impacted the Committee’s ability to be directly in front of candidates, but virtual career fairs and advertising has continued.

We are committing to regular communication with you as we work on proposed solutions and interim measures.

Affected patients will have received a letter, or will be receiving one shortly, as required by our regulators. The following information may be of assistance to you now:

• Patients in the above practice can register with HealthCare Connect at: 1-800-445-1822
• Please consider using the Virtual Care clinics located at either the Trent Hills Pharmacy (Isabella St) or MacLaren’s IDA Pharmacy (Bridge St) for your non-urgent care, such as prescription refills; this will assist the hospital in managing volumes
• Please use the Emergency Department at Campbellford Hospital for your urgent care needs
• Please refer to our website at: thfht.com for regular updates and information to assist you with questions and concerns you may have.

Editor’s Note: Trent Hills Now has asked the THFHT Executive Director Delayne Donald how many patients will be affected by Dr. Henderson’s retirement. His replay is he treats 1290 patients.

media release