Care closer to home and community with safe transitions

Care closer to home includes connection with a primary care team, safe transitions across services – including from hospital to home – and appropriate virtual options. The pandemic has shown how virtual care can improve patient access and enable quality, efficient care. But clinicians need the right tools and training, and people and communities need structures and supports that promote equitable access.

For people receiving in-person treatment in hospital, getting there and back can be challenging and pose risks at a time of significant stress. Better transitions to and from hospital are possible when patients and their care partners are equipped with clinician-provided information that empowers them to manage their care safely after discharge. 

How is Healthcare Excellence Canada bringing care closer to home and community? 

We believe safe, equitable and high-quality healthcare should be available to everyone in Canada, no matter where they live. That’s why we work to spread and scale innovations that improve access and experiences across the continuum of care, including by: 

• equipping primary care providers with knowledge and tools to deliver virtual care safely and equitably, with a focus on rural and remote communities 
• supporting primary care organizations and practices to improve access to primary care closer to home, particularly in rural and remote communities
• supporting approaches that foster safe transitions from hospital to home and community (e.g. discharge planning, providing timely and relevant information, post-discharge follow-up)  
• identifying new models of care that provide services outside of hospital and specialty care facilities, including palliative care