What's New

New Regulation Amendments to Long-Term & Community Care

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

New Regulatory Amendments in Ontario’s Home & Community Care Services

  

Effective September 18, 2009 amendments to the Long-Term Care Act, 1994, the Community Care Access Corporations Act, 2001, the Health Insurance Act and the  Ontario Drug Benefit Act  will take effect.  These amendments are intended to strengthen the quality of home care and community care services in Ontario by enabling innovation in the care that is delivered by and through CCACs.

 

These changes may affect occupational therapists working in Ontario’s publicly funded home care sector.  They enable:

• Professional home care services (nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, dietetics, respiratory therapy, social work, social service work, diagnostic and laboratory services and medical supplies and equipment) to be provided to eligible clients in a group or congregate setting.
  
  
• The use of assistants in providing professional services, to improve client access to home care services
  
  
• CCACs to broaden their role in the health care system by providing CCACs with the authority to manage the placement of persons into adult day program, supportive housing programs funded by the MOHLTC or a LHIN and chronic care and rehabilitation beds in public hospitals.
  
  
• New, more specialized services (pharmacy services and respiratory therapy services ) to be provided to eligible clients to improve the range of services to clients who are at a higher risk of experiencing medical complications
  
  
• CCACs to provide new services (respiratory therapy and nursing services (Nurse led outreach teams) to eligible long-term care home residents to enhance the services available to residents.

 

For more detailed information see the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website or view an orientation session slide presentation of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Health Program Policy and Standards Branch presented September 4, 2009. 

 

OSOT was involved in early consultations on these regulatory changes and has been essentially supportive of the amendments and their implications for OT.  Final draft amendments were only vetted to the regulatory colleges so it was only upon presentation that it became clear that some of OSOT’s feedback to the draft regulations was not supported.

 

These new provisions will enable occupational therapy services to be accessed outside of the home in a clinic or group access setting (e.g. community centre).  Amendments also enable the delivery of OT services through the use of OT Assistants.  Although OSOT has been supportive of the flexibility this provision will enable, we cautioned that “while the Society acknowledges that effective use of OT Assistants may enable increased efficiency in the delivery of OT services, we acknowledge this with reservation in light of current visit limits.  The realistic capacity of a therapist to engage a therapy assistant in a service delivery model that is in keeping with regulatory standards is limited within 2- 4 visits.”  Occupational therapists engaging OT support personnel in their practice are bound by the regulatory standards of practice of the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario.  Note that the regulations do provide provision to ensure that professional services are directed by a treatment plan developed by a registered professional.