Offering More Choice in How Patients Receive Care

Expanding innovative home and community care services to improve health care supports while preserving hospital capacity

Our PC government is making it easier and faster for patients to access high-quality care at home.

Today we announced that we are investing over $115 million to support 850 patients across the province with high, complex care needs and provide access to services in the comfort of their own homes, while also expanding virtual care options for patients across the province. This funding is part of our COVID-19 fall preparedness plan, Keeping Ontarians Safe: Preparing for Future Waves of COVID-19.

“With today’s modern medical advances and technology, and with the help of our dedicated nurses and personal support workers, we are ready to provide quality care for patients in their own homes and in their communities,” said Doug Ford, MPP for Etobicoke North and Premier of Ontario. “This kind of care is not only critical to keeping patients safe and healthy during COVID-19, but also part of our government’s ongoing commitment to end hallway health care and ensure our hospitals are not overwhelmed.”

The new High Intensity Supports at Home program helps patients with high care needs transition from a hospital back to their home or community setting with the right supports, also known as alternate level of care patients. This program provides integrated, team-based care where multiple types of services are focused on the patient. This can include up to 11 hours a day of personal support services and nursing services per patient. Other community services may include Meals on Wheels, homemaking, and transportation to medical appointments.

With this investment, we will add more capacity in hospitals, provide approximately 484,000 nursing and therapy visits, and approximately 1.4 million personal support worker hours.

As part of Ontario’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in alignment with the Digital First for Health Strategy, Ontario is investing $14.5 million to support the expansion of virtual care for Ontario Health Teams and frontline home and community care service providers:

• $9.5 million towards remote patient monitoring programs delivered by various health care organizations, including Ontario Health Team member organizations like hospitals;
• $5 million will be invested in virtual home and community care capacity by providing funding directly to frontline home and community care service providers.

These investments will offer more choices in how patients receive care and make health care simpler, easier, and more convenient, while allowing patients to continue accessing the routine health care services they need throughout the pandemic.