The Ontario government is planning to invest $1 billion more over the next three years to further expand home care. A media release stated the money will benefit the nearly 700,000 families who rely on home care annually, preventing unnecessary hospital and long-term care admissions and shortening hospital stays.
The government expects the expansion of home care will provide Ontarians with the choice to stay in their home and help with hospital capacity to keep the province open. The release said this funding will support expanded home care services, while recruiting and training more home care workers.
“Since the beginning, our government has been taking action to deliver a patient-centred health care system that provides Ontarians with more choice,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This significant investment will ensure Ontarians can receive the care they need in the comfort of their own homes and alleviate unnecessary pressure on our hospitals helping to keep our province open.”
Elliot said the funding builds on the $548.5 million over three years to expand home care services that was announced in Ontario’s 2021 Fall Economic Statement. A media release added that expanding home care will bolster Ontario’s Plan to Stay Open by allowing patients to receive the care they need in the comfort of their own home, preserving hospital beds for those who need them most.
