Right Care, Right Place, Right Time
Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health are supporting local initiatives to make sure people get the right care in the right place at the right time. This includes improving access to more appropriate care settings and enabling health system stability.
Through government investments, we are partnering with local health service providers to help them find new ways to connect their patients to home and community care services, including supports so patients can go home from hospital sooner and can recover or wait for a long-term care bed at home rather than remain in hospital. This frees up acute care hospital beds for others who need them.
Maintaining appropriate capacity, access and flow in Ontario’s health care system requires the collaboration of all health care providers, organizations and partners. Only by working together can we achieve coordinated, seamless care for people across the province.
Integrated Primary Health Care
Through our Primary Care Program, we are building a strong foundation for primary care across the province. Our aim is to help support equitable, team-based care as part of an integrated and connected system, centred around patients and their communities.
Ontario Health Teams
Ontario Health Teams are made up of organizations from across health care and other sectors, to better connect Ontarians to care in their communities. Ontario Health Teams strengthen local services, making it easier for patients to navigate the system and transition between providers. This is a new way of organizing and delivering care that is more connected to patients in their local communities. Ontario Health provides support to Ontario Health Teams so that they can deliver better care.
Visit the Government of Ontario website to learn more about Ontario Health Teams.
Home Care
Seven Ontario Health Teams are advancing projects to improve home care integration, transition, and access, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and experiences. These seven Ontario Health Teams are working closely with Ontario Health and Home and Community Care Support Services to put these improvements into practice as part of the broader work to modernize home care. Modernizing home care will lead to positive outcomes for patients and their families, and providers, including:
- improved care for patients and families
- making it easier to connect to home care services through a one-stop approach
- patients and families more involved in their care plan development with easy-to-understand detailed plans before leaving hospital
- family caregivers experiencing reduced distress
- support for providers in recruiting and retaining workers
- fewer avoidable hospital readmissions and avoidable emergency department visits
Mental Health and Addictions
Our Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence works with partners, providers and people with lived experience to build a comprehensive and connected mental health system for people in Ontario. The aim is to create an easier to navigate system that provides a more equitable and consistent experience for people seeking care for mental health and addictions.
Featured initiative: Ontario Structured Psychotherapy
Go to Mental Health and Addictions Centre of Excellence to learn more about the transformational work of this program.
Health 811
In 2022, the Ontario government and Ontario Health launched Health811, an online tool that allows people to call or chat online with a registered nurse to get health advice, navigate health care services, and find information all in one, easy-to-use location. Health811 services and offerings have continued to expand since the service launched.
This free, secure and confidential service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
To learn more, call 811 or visit Health811.
Health Equity
Through our Provincial Equity and Indigenous Health Office, we aim to reduce inequities and meet the needs of distinct populations to improve health outcomes. We created a framework for an organizational culture focused on equity, inclusion, diversity and anti-racism to help make sure our work supports better health for everyone in Ontario.
Featured initiative: Black Health Plan
Digital Leadership
As part of our mandate to connect, coordinate and modernize our province’s health care system, we are working to improve digital and virtual health care systems and tools. More connected and integrated digital tools help connect health care providers with information and support when and where they need it, and support more integrated, seamless care for people in Ontario.
Our work as digital leaders in health care includes:
- Leading the creation of a comprehensive blueprint and standards program, which will support a plan for connecting health care data systems across the province
- Delivering more complete, secure health information for citizens, patients and providers through Ontario’s digital assets
- Leading improvements to virtual services such as video visits, to give people more choices in how they get health care
Featured initiative: Ontario Health Cyber Security Centre
Learn more about our Digital Standards in Health Care.