Ontario Palliative Care Network
Who is the Ontario Palliative Care Network?
The Ontario Palliative Care Network (OPCN) is a partnership of community stakeholders, health service providers and health systems planners accountable to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The OPCN is developing a coordinated, standardized approach for delivering hospice palliative care services in the province. It supports and aligns with the Ministry’s Patients First: A Road-map to Strengthen Home and Community Care, which highlights a commitment to improved access and equity in hospice palliative and end-of-life care at home and in the community. The OPCN is building on the tremendous work captured in the report Advancing High Quality, High Value Palliative Care in Ontario: The Declaration of Partnership and Commitment to Action.
Why was the Ontario Palliative Care Network Formed?
According to Health Quality Ontario’s Palliative Care at the End of Life report, of the 54,000 Ontarians who received palliative care services between April 2014 and the end of March 2015, about half (47.9%) began receiving palliative care in their last month of life. Nearly two-thirds (64.9%) died in hospital, and about one-quarter (25.8%) spent half or more of their last month of life in hospital.
As these numbers indicate, Ontario has faced a number of challenges in ensuring equitable, integrated access to quality hospice palliative care, including inadequate support for caregivers, a lack of accountability for the delivery of this care and a lack of integration of care across the system. Though there are examples of patients and families experiencing excellent care, there is a recognized need across the health system for improvement.
To address these gaps, and to improve the consistency and quality of hospice palliative care in the province, the Ontario Palliative Care Network (OPCN) was launched in March 2016.
A Plan for Better Access for All Ontarians
OPCN has a mandate to improve access to the provision of equitable and sustainable quality hospice palliative care services in Ontario. The Ontario Palliative Care Network Action Plan 1: 2017 – 2020 outlines how we will work together to ensure that quality hospice palliative care services are readily available and easy to access for people with life-limiting illness and their loved ones.
To learn more about the OPCN, visit the newly launched OPCN website at ontariopalliativecarenetwork.ca. For more information, contact the OPCN at info@ontariopalliativecarenetwork.ca.
OPCN Resources
The Ontario Palliative Care Network's toolkit provides best-practice tools from around the world to support primary care providers in the delivery of palliative care. All the tools are organized according to the 3-step-model of best practice: identify, assess and plan.