Home and Community Care Support Services

Home and Community Care Support Services organizations offer a point of access to Ontario's home and community care system by:

• Assessing need, determining eligibility, and providing or arranging for visiting health and professional services in people's homes;
• Assessing need, determining eligibility, and providing or arranging for the provision of school health services for children;
• Assessing need, determining eligibility, and managing admissions to long-term care homes; and
• Providing information and referrals to the public about other community agencies and services available to them.

Some Home and Community Care Support Services organizations manage admissions to adult day programs, supportive housing and assisted living programs, and to chronic care or rehabilitation beds in hospitals. The services of Home and Community Care Support Services organizations are available to eligible Ontario residents of any age and are fully funded by the Ministry of Health.

• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations’ care coordinators assess client need and eligibility for home and community care services; develop, monitor, and adjust plans of service as required; and authorize services.
• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations coordinate access to nursing services, physiotherapy services, occupational therapy services, speech-language pathology services, , dietetics services, pharmacy services, diagnostic and laboratory services, respiratory therapy services, social work services, social service work services, personal support services and homemaking services.
• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations provide additional support for clients who receive certain in-home professional health-services by purchasing or renting medical supplies and dressings, hospital and sickroom equipment, laboratory and diagnostic services.
• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations may also train other persons, such as caregivers, to assist with or provide certain of the above services to a particular client.
• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations arrange for the provision of drug benefits to eligible persons.

The above services are available on a short-term basis to help people returning home from hospital and to support people through their recovery from an illness or accident. The services are available on a long-term basis to assist people with disabilities or chronic health problems and to provide palliative care to the terminally ill. Where it is appropriate, some of the above services may be delivered in a group or congregate settings.

• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations assess need and determine eligibility for admission, and prioritize and manage the admission process to long-term care homes.
• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations provide support and information to both applicants and their families prior to and during the admission process.

• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations assess need, determine eligibility, and provide or arrange nursing services, dietetics services, and the medical supplies, dressings and treatment equipment necessary for the provision of these services, as well as personal support services and the medical and personal equipment necessary for those services for children with special needs who require assistance in public schools.
• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations also assess need, determine eligibility, and provide or arrange the services available for children in public schools, as well as occupational therapy services, physiotherapy services, speech-language pathology services and the medical supplies, dressings and treatment equipment necessary for the provision of these services for children attending private schools and receiving home schooling.

• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations are non-profit Crown agencies funded by the Ministry of Health to deliver patient care services for their local communities.
• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations coordinate access to government-funded home and community services and long-term care homes and provide information about and connect people to local community support service agencies to arrange services.
• The Home Care and Community  Services Act, 1994 (HCCSA) sets out the rights of clients; defines the services provided by Home Care and Community Support Services organizations and other approved agencies; requires development, review, and coordination of a Plan of Service for each client; and addresses consents, privacy of personal health information, fees, quality management, complaints and appeals. Regulation 386/99 sets out the eligibility criteria for homemaking, personal support services, and professional services, and defines the maximum levels of nursing and personal support/homemaking services that can be provided to an individual.
• Home and Community Care Support Services organizations are approved to provide community services under HCCSA.