OCSA Statement on Bill 175 Proceeding to Committee During COVID-19

OCSA Analysis and Statement on Bill 175
At present, the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994 (HCCSA) and associated regulations govern the home and community care sector. Much of the clinical and service delivery requirements in home and community care are set out in legislation and regulation as opposed to regulation and policy as is the case in other health sectors. Bill 175 proposes to repeal the HCCSA and establish the Connecting Care Act, 2019 (CCA), associated regulations and policy as the oversight framework to govern the sector. This proposal would shift the clinical and service delivery requirements from legislation to regulation and policy.
Summary of Recommendations
Bill 175
- Require Ontario Health Board meetings to be open to the public.
- Carry over the exemption from the Public Vehicles Act for transportation services funded by the Ministry of Health.
Bill 175
- Enshrine the principle that client fees should not be a barrier to accessing care in regulation.
- Develop a provincial framework for care coordination in order to ensure quality and consistency.
- Leverage existing care coordination resources to enhance front-line care and focus care coordination on those who need it most.
- Develop a clear and consistent policy framework to ensure an equitable and client focused approach to address the removal of service maximums.
- Offer support and resources for organizations, especially small organizations, that would be impacted by their designation as Health Information Custodians.
- Prescribe through regulation qualification standards and requirements for being a home and community care health service provider.
- Establish procurement guidelines for contracting services which include a preference for not-for-profit providers with a history of high-quality service.
- Do not proceed with the addition of public hospitals as a location of service for home and community care until comprehensive engagement with both the home and community care sector and the hospital sector is completed.
- Consult extensively with the sector before moving forward on the development of new regulations for residential congregate care settings.
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