Factsheet: Home Care Services – Developing a Planning and Evaluation Tool for the Health Care System

January 2012

News Release: Government of Canada supports the development of a home care planning and evaluation tool

The Government of Canada will provide $151,200 over two years to support the Canadian Home Care Association to work with partners to develop a policy planning and evaluation tool, called the Home Care Policy Lens.  It will be a framework for policy makers to use when developing and evaluating integrated care policies. It will also allow policy makers and service providers in various sectors to assess requirements for issues such as human resource needs and the optimal role for home care within integrated health care delivery models.

Over the two year period, the Canadian Home Care Association will use the funding to:

• complete a literature review of home care issues within integrated care models;
• draft the Home Care Policy Lens which will contain relevant information, questionnaires, and checklists;
• host three national forums to obtain stakeholder input into the draft home care policy tool and seek feedback on its application;
• complete pilot testing of the tool in several regions across the country; and
• evaluate the tool based on the forum, pilot testing, and other input from the health care policy and service-delivery community.

This project will enhance our health care system by:

• encouraging the increased availability of accessible, responsive home care and community supports for Canadians who need them; 
• providing policy makers with tools and resources to further develop integrated care plans and services; and,
• promoting collaboration and communication among various health care sector stakeholders.

Funding for this project comes from Health Canada’s Health Care Policy Contribution Program (HCPCP) which is designed to support the Government of Canada’s commitment to improving the health care system. The HCPCP fosters strategic and evidence based decision-making for quality health care, and promotes innovation through pilot projects.  

Please visit the HCPCP for more information.

Please visit the Canadian Home Care Association’s website for more information