Home Care Ontario Calls on Government to Fast-Track Funding

New campaign seeks to harness home care's scalability to stabilize workforce, support hospitals, LTC

HAMILTON, ON, Nov. 23, 2022 /CNW/ - Accelerating the government's recent investment in home care is critical to stabilizing its workforce, taking pressure off our struggling hospitals, and delivering better care for patients, according to Home Care Ontario, which today launched a new campaign to highlight how home care is the key to improving care for seniors and patients across Ontario.

The new campaign, "Bring Care Home", is designed to draw attention to staffing losses in the sector, which number in the thousands. It will highlight how government can stabilize and scale the home care workforce and take pressure off hospitals by accelerating a planned 3-year investment in home care.

Unlike hospitals and other institutions, home care requires virtually no physical infrastructure. It can scale faster than any other part of the health care system.

"Behind the headlines about hospital beds being full is the cold reality that our whole health care system is under strain," says Sue VanderBent, CEO of Home Care Ontario. "That means our seniors, families, and most vulnerable citizens are waiting longer for care. We need to act now. With the right supports, home care is the quickest, most effective way we can give our loved ones the care they need and deserve."

In the June 2022 Budget, the province announced a monumental $1B investment in home care. To date, only $120 million of that funding has been allocated. Home Care Ontario is urging the government to accelerate spending of the remaining $880 million. The additional funding would support the sector to stabilize its workforce by attracting new staff and, in many cases, rehiring those who left during the pandemic. Ultimately, more staff would mean more patients receiving care and more care being delivered at home, easing the strain on hospitals, and strengthening Ontario's health care system.

Specifically, Home Care Ontario is calling on government to immediately invest the remaining funding to:

• Raise rates to better support more home care staff, and invest in innovative funding models to help more Ontarians get out of hospitals and back home
• Develop a system-wide Health Human Resources strategy, which prioritizes home care first
• Expand the newly created Seniors Home Care Tax credit to better support older Ontarians wishing to continue living at home

The new campaign is anchored by an informative website, www.choosehomecare.ca, that is calling on Ontarians to tell the government to "Bring Care Home."

"We need to act fast to help our health care system and our patients – and nothing is faster than home care," said VanderBent. "A well-functioning home care system will alleviate pressure from hospitals. It helps reduce hospital admissions, by preventing unnecessary trips to the emergency room, and speeds up discharges for post-operative patients ready to recover at home.  We know this is what patients want and what our new campaign is all about."

SOURCE Home Care Ontario

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