Expanding Access to Care and Easing Pressure on Emergency Departments
Everyone in Canada deserves timely access to healthcare — including care closer to home and in their communities. When people can connect to the right care, at the right time, in the right place, they’re less likely to turn to emergency departments for issues that can be managed elsewhere.
Right Care Challenge
Open to health and social care teams ensuring people get the right care, at the right time, in the right place.
Enhancing Integrated Care
Primary and community care organizations are working to strengthen integrated team-based care, including virtual care.
Primary Care Access Improvement
Team-based primary care organizations create efficiencies and optimize team functioning so they can provide timely access to care.
Paramedics and Social Prescribing
Paramedic teams use social prescribing to connect clients with local community services.
Did you know?
- 38% of Canadians say their last visit to the emergency department was for a condition that could have been treated elsewhere.
- Nearly one in five adults in Canada don’t have a regular primary care provider.
Did you know?
- 38% of Canadians say their last visit to the emergency department was for a condition that could have been treated elsewhere.
- Nearly one in five adults in Canada don’t have a regular primary care provider.
The evidence guiding this work
These offerings are guided by four key policy pathways for reducing avoidable emergency department visits:
Supporting community-based health promotion and disease prevention
Expanding access to primary care
Enhancing appropriate care through service integration
Enabling role substitution, health workforce improvements and changing advanced practice roles
Building on the success of other initiatives
We've gained valuable insights from programs focused on strengthening primary care, expanding virtual care and improving equitable access to palliative care. Each initiative has generated actionable guidance and case studies, supporting healthcare professionals to apply proven approaches that expand care and drive meaningful impact.
Learn how one team in Huntsville, Ontario is improving access to care for unattached patients and reducing emergency department visits, supported by HEC.
Featured content
Enhancing Integrated Care: What’s Possible When Care Works Together
The Enhancing Integrated Care program builds on the success of previous HEC initiatives helping organizations to design and deliver integrated care.
Moving the dial on emergency department visits
A review of evidence identified four policy pathways addressing key reasons for avoidable emergency visits by ensuring timely access to appropriate primary or community care.
Social Prescribing and Community Paramedicine in Canada: Guide
This guide is designed to help paramedics across Canada use social prescribing. It includes real-world examples and practical strategies from across Canada that inspire and support action.
Related resources
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Improving care for one million with Care Forward
These offerings are part of Care Forward, a pan-Canadian movement where people unite to share knowledge and apply proven approaches to make healthcare better for more people. With support from Healthcare Excellence Canada and its partners—through funding, resources, expert coaching, and a network of peers—healthcare changemakers are creating lasting local impact and improving care for over one million people across the country.
Change happens in partnership
Supporting organizations across Canada are helping drive meaningful progress as part of Care Forward.
Change happens in partnership
Supporting organizations across Canada are helping drive meaningful progress as part of Care Forward.
