Ontario Continuing to Build a More Connected and Convenient Health Care System

On December 2, 2024, the Ontario government introduced the More Convenient Care Act, 2024, which would, if passed, take the next step in the province’s plan to provide more people with the right publicly funded care, in the right place by building healthier communities, and bolstering the province’s health care workforce today and in the future.

“With the More Convenient Care Act, our government is taking the next steps to improve how the health care system connects people to high-quality care, at every stage of life,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “With this legislation, we are continuing to bring forward bold actions and innovative solutions to create a stronger, more connected health care system.”

Included in the package of proposed initiatives, the government would deliver on its commitment to support the voluntary mergers of nine Local Public Health Agencies (LPHAs) into four new entities. These mergers will address long-standing issues in Ontario’s public health sector, such as capacity limitations, organizational performance inconsistencies and challenges with staff recruitment and retention of health care staff. The province is also working with public health partners to clarify the roles and responsibilities of public health units to build healthier communities across the province.

Other legislative and regulatory changes being proposed in order to connect more people to convenient care, close to home, include:

Strengthening Governance and Transparency

• Creating a transparency framework for staffing agencies that operate in the hospital, long-term care and community health sectors, to disclose administrative mark-up rates to the government through the new Health Care Staffing Agency Reporting Act, 2024.
• Enhancing hospital governance by working with the sector to define best practices, ensuring providers across the province have access to the tools and resources they need to deliver high-quality care.

Enhancing Patient Care

• Modernizing the provincial electronic health record (EHR) as the next step to being able to provide eligible Ontarians with safe, secure and direct access to their personal health information online through Health811 next year.
• Allowing nurse practitioners to complete and sign mandatory blood testing forms to expand access to care for people submitting applications, including victims of crimes, correctional officers, members of the College of Nurses of Ontario, medical or nursing students, and paramedics.
• Exploring options that would support consistent and quality mental health and addiction services by better understanding the variety of services provided by this workforce.
• Reviewing the ambulance vehicle and equipment standards to enhance patient safety and make it faster for paramedics to access the tools they need to deliver emergency care.

Improving Service Delivery

• Strengthening the authority of the Chief Medical Officer of Health to promote greater alignment, and consistency when issuing orders to local Chief Medical Officers of health across different health regions.
• Updating public health regulations for public pools, zoonotic diseases, and diseases of public health significance to reduce burden and align with best evidence.

If passed, the More Convenient Care Act, 2024 builds on the Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, to connect Ontarians to the care right care, where and when they need it.

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