Ontario government to introduce new home and community care legislation

TORONTO – Ontario is introducing legislation to improve the home and community care system, in the hopes it helps keep people out of hospital who don’t need to be there.

Health officials say that if passed, the legislation will allow for more flexibility in the system, in part by doing away with service maximums.

They say the system will still see agencies deliver home care through contracts and limit the delivery of community services to non-profit corporations.

The current Local Health Integration Network structure to deliver services will stay in place for the next few years, but will be rebranded as Home and Community Care Support Services.

The officials say the ultimate goal is to bring the system under the government’s new Ontario Health Team approach of co-ordinated, community-based care.

They say right now, patients have to go to a LHIN and work with a care co-ordinator within a rigid system, but under the new legislation, some restrictions would be removed, so that care could be arranged before a patient leaves hospital.

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