The Ontario government has introduced the More Convenient
Care Act, 2024 which would, if passed, take the next step in the province’s
plan to provide more people with the right publicly funded care, in the right
place by building healthier communities, and bolstering the province’s health
care workforce today and in the future.
The initiatives are based on three key pillars of
strengthening care:
Strengthening Governance and Transparency:
Amending the City of Hamilton Act, 1999
The government is seeking feedback on proposed amendments to
the City of Hamilton Act, 1999, administered by the Ministry of Municipal
Affairs and Housing, to enable a semi-autonomous Board of Health governance
model, where City Council appoints members, which can include community
representatives, to a separate board of health. This is expected to improve
service planning by fostering broader perspectives on the board of health and
providing flexibility for representation to enhance local decision-making.
Proposed new legislation: Health Care Staffing Agency
Reporting Act, 2024
The government is seeking feedback to create new legislation
that would create a regulatory framework for staffing agencies to report
administrative, billing, or pay rate information to the government. The
transparency framework would be designed to achieve transparency regarding the
rate agencies, charge hospitals and long-term care homes, increase cost
certainty for employers and stabilization of agency rates.
Affirming that Ontario Health atHome is subject to the
French Language Services Act
Proposing legislation that would amend the Connecting Care
Act, 2019 to affirm that Ontario Health atHome is subject to the French
Language Services Act. Ontario Health atHome is a provincial crown
organization, operating under Ontario Health, that provides and coordinates
local in-home and community-based care for thousands of patients across the
province every day.
Enhancing Patient Care:
Amend the Mandatory Blood Testing Act, 2006
The government is seeking feedback on proposed amendments to
the Mandatory Blood Testing Act, 2006 to allow nurse practitioners to complete
and sign Mandatory Blood Testing forms. Enabling nurse practitioners to
complete and sign Mandatory Blood Testing forms will assist in providing
applicants such as victims of crimes, correctional officers, or paramedics with
expanded access to this health care service.
Improving Patient Access to Information
Proposed amendments to the Personal Health Information
Protection Act, 2004, would help empower Ontarians to have more control over
their health, including by enabling eligible Ontarians with direct digital
access to certain personal health data held in the Provincial Electronic Health
Record (EHR), subject to any exceptions specified in regulation.
Improving Service Delivery:
Supporting Mergers of Local Public Health Agencies
The ministry is also proceeding with support for the
voluntary mergers of nine local public health agencies into four new
organizations. These mergers will strengthen and expand the delivery of public
health services to residents of these communities. If approved:
- The Porcupine Health Unit and the Timiskaming Health Unit
would become the Northeastern Health Unit. - The Brant County Health Unit and the Haldimand-Norfolk
Health Unit would become the Grand Erie Health Unit. - The Haliburton, Kawartha & Pine Ridge District Health
Unit and Peterborough County-City Health Unit would become the Haliburton,
Kawartha, Northumberland & Peterborough Health Unit. - The Hastings & Prince Edward Counties Health Unit, the
Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Health Unit and the Leeds,
Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit would become the South East Health
Unit.
Refining Public Health Roles and Responsibilities
These amendments would support public health practices that
are aligned with current evidence and best practices, reduce burden on impacted
stakeholders including local public health agencies, public pool owners, and
residential pool and spa owners and to address time-sensitive emerging public
health issues that may impact health care facilities.
Strengthen Oversight for Local Public Health Agencies
Proposing amendments to Section 22 of the Health Protection
and Promotion Act, which would strengthen the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s
oversight functions of Section 22 Class Orders issued by a local medical
officer of health. This change is expected to support greater alignment,
consistency, and proportionality in Section 22 Class Orders issued by local
medical officers of health in response to a local communicable disease risk,
while also providing greater opportunities to identify provincial supports to
help mitigate the risk.