Ontario Investing $1B to Expand Homecare Services

TORONTO—The city of Ontario has announced the Ontario government is investing $1.1 billion over the course of three years to extend homecare services and the Hospital to Home (H2H) program. The investment funds will come through as part of the upcomin Fall Economic Statement and aims to expand access to convenient care at home for patients who no longer need to stay in the hospital. The government said these investments will ease pressures on the health care system and free up beds for those who need them most.

“As part of our plan to protect Ontario, our government is making responsible, forward-looking investments that strengthen Ontario’s health care system and our economy,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, minister of finance. “By funding critical homecare services and Hospital to Home programs, we are building a more self-reliant and resilient province and ensuring patients and families get the right care in the right place, at home.”

Ontario officials said as the population ages and to ensure the health care system can continue to support more patients with increasingly complex needs, there would begin an 8% increase in funding as of Oct. 27, which includes $982 million over three years to strengthen critical homecare services. The funding will connect more patients with services from nurses, physiotherapists and social workers, so they can avoid lengthy hospital stays and live in the comfort of their own home independently.

“Our government has heard loud and clear that families across Ontario want faster and more flexible access to care that supports their recovery and independence,” said Sylvia Jones, deputy premier and minister of health. “Through our investment to strengthen and expand homecare services, we are enabling more people to live, heal and thrive in their own homes, surrounded by the people that matter most.”

Ontario is also investing more than $170 million over three years to enhance and expand the H2H program to reduce pressures on hospitals and long-term care homes and help more patients safely transition back home sooner, following a hospital stay. Funding will also support the development of 18 new H2H sites and expansion of 23 existing sites, allowing even more people to receive convenient care in the comfort of their own home and freeing up vital hospital capacity across the province.

“As Ontario’s population ages, seniors are increasingly relying on programs and services to keep them healthy and independent,” said Raymond Cho, minister for seniors and accessibility. “Today’s historic investment will help seniors across our province access the services they need to stay connected to their family, friends and communities.”

The government said the announcement builds on the government’s 2024 investment of an additional $2 billion over three years, which it said has already improved access to homecare by:

• Increasing the number of patients accessing home care by 18% in the past two years, to now serve more than 650,000 patients across the province.
• Reducing the wait list for personal support services from 7,371 down to 426—a 94% decrease from 2022-23 to 2024-25.
• Lowering unplanned hospital readmission rates for Hospital to Home patients by nearly a quarter and admissions to LTC to just 1%.