Bring Health Home
Ontario's healthcare system is under tremendous pressure. We know that the status quo isn't working, but we also know there is also a tremendous opportunity — to unlock the vast potential of the home care sector to ensure that Ontarians are offered the opportunity to age at home, with appropriate supports.
Bring Health Home is an initiative of Ontario's largest and leading home care organizations — VON Canada, SE Health, Bayshore HealthCare and Closing the Gap Healthcare. We understand that reform will take collaboration and partnership between policymakers, funders, providers and provider organizations. That's why we have come together to develop How to Bring Health Home and Stabilize Ontario’s Health Care System (summary) (full report). In it, we outline three priority recommendations that will help us collectively create a more efficient and effective home care sector, relieving pressures on other areas of the overburdened system.
Our recommendations
Stabilizing the existing system would relieve pressure on Ontario’s hospitals and long-term care homes.
- Expand integrated funding and new service models that enable Ontarians with more complex health needs to stay safely in their homes longer
- Give clients and families more choice and flexibility through client-directed care models
- Reduce surgical backlogs through surgical bundled-care programs
- Stabilize the home care workforce
- Scale successful “hospital to home” models to enable ALC patients to safely transition home.
Transition to a modern and innovative home care system that would set Ontario up for success.
- Solidify internal government leadership and accountability structures
- Partner with those with direct experience in delivering and receiving services in discussions around how to implement change
- Include the perspective of home care in broader multi-sector health system transformation discussions
- Do not wait on full Ontario Health Team “maturity” to devolve services
- Ensure that home care modernization results in measurable reductions in red tape and bureaucracy
$500 million: New models that support the long-term life care needs of older adults in the community including those on the waitlist for LTC. Pilot, evaluate and scale these programs in partnership with primary care, home care, community support service and OHTs.
$350 million: Transitional bundled care programs, enabling ALC patients in hospital to be safely discharged home.
$150 million: Expanding client-directed funding programs to support independence and healthy aging.
$100 million: Surgical bundled care programs to support surgical recovery and the continuum of care.
$340 million: Contract rate increases to level up frontline wages and support critical infrastructure costs within home care service provider organizations.
