ONTARIO 💵⚕️ Ontario Expanding Access to Palliative Care

Thursday, 19 September 2024 12:00.PM

- $19.75 million to build 84 additional hospice beds, connecting more people to end of life care close to home -

The Ontario government is connecting more people to comfortable and dignified end-of-life care, close to their community and loved ones by adding up to 84 new adult hospice beds across the province. This expansion will bring the total number of publicly funded hospice beds across Ontario to 768.

“Our government is ensuring people and their families have access to the comprehensive care they need in their community, close to their loved ones, at every stage of life,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By investing in the expansion of end-of-life care in communities across the province, we are taking another step to connect Ontarians to compassionate and specialized care closer to home.”

As part of Ontario’s 2024 budget, the provincial government is investing up to $19.75 million in capital funding to build 84 new adult hospice beds and 12 new pediatric hospice beds. An Expression of Interest (EOI) for the new adult hospice beds opens today with beds expected to be operational by 2027. Existing hospice residences or other applicants who wish to develop or expand new hospice beds can reach out to their local Ontario Health Region for details.

Through this process, Ontario is also looking for applicants with longer term expansion opportunities to meet the future needs of Ontario’s growing communities. Since 2018, Ontario has invested over $26.5 million to add 153 new hospice beds, bringing the total to 768, giving more families the option of high quality and dignified end-of-life care.

Ten new pediatric hospice beds have already been added for Keaton’s House – Paul Paletta Children’s Hospice, the first pediatric hospice in Hamilton, and two new pediatric hospice beds at Roger Neilson Children’s Hospice located at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

Through the Ontario government’s Your Health plan, the province is making it easier and faster for people of all ages to connect to the care they need, where and when they need it. This includes investing up to $147.4 million over three years to expand access to palliative care services, including increasing funding by 45 per cent for all hospice beds across the province.

"Hospice Palliative Care Ontario welcomes this call for expressions of interest for new hospice beds. Community hospice residences provide the highest quality of care in a home-like setting and focus on the patient's and their family's needs. Ontario is leading the way in Canada in hospice care, and this investment will increase access to much-needed hospice beds for Ontarians."
- Rick Firth, President and CEO, Hospice Palliative Care Ontario

Quick Facts

• The Expression of Interest is now open for four weeks and will close at 5 p.m. on October 18, 2024. A standardized evaluation will be undertaken, including consideration of capacity in relation to demand for hospice beds.
• Existing hospice residences or other interested applicants are encouraged to reach out to their Ontario Health Region for additional application details.
• Once these 84 new beds are open, the province will provide an additional $15.9 million in operational funding per year.
• Palliative care, which includes end-of-life care, can begin as early as the diagnosis of a serious illness and focuses on improving the quality of each individual’s life. This integrated form of care ensures people can access the supports they need when facing illness, death, grief, and/or bereavement.
• The Ontario Palliative Care Network (OPCN), led by Ontario Health, is a partnership of health service providers (including hospices, long-term care homes, hospitals and others), community and social support service organizations, health system planners, Ontario Health Teams, and patient and family/care partner advisors, formed to develop a coordinated, standardized approach to palliative care.

SOURCE: Ontario Ministry of Health

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