Dr. Eric Hoskins

Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

Over the past decade, Ontario's health care system has improved significantly. Together, we have reduced wait times for surgery, increased the number of Ontarians who have a primary health care provider and expanded services for Ontarians at home and in their communities. There are, however, a number of areas where we need to do more.
Too often, health care services can be fragmented, uncoordinated and unevenly distributed across the province. For patients, that means they may have difficulty navigating the system or that not all Ontarians have equitable access to services. Too often our system is not delivering the right kind of care to patients who need it most.

The next phase of our plan to put patients first is to address structural issues that create inequities. We propose to truly integrate the health care system so that it provides the care patients need no matter wherethey live. Our proposal is focused on population health and integration at the local level. It would improve access to primary care, standardize and strengthen home and community care, and strengthen population and public health. It would also ensure that services are distributed equitably across the province and
are appropriate for patients.
With this paper, we are seeking your input on our proposal, and your advice about how to integrate other improvements including, for example, community mental health and addictions services. Through this engagement process, we want to hear from providers, patients and caregivers around the province, in cities and rural communities, in our diverse cultural communities and in our French-language communities. We want to engage with First Nations, Métis and Inuit partners about how this process can complement our ongoing work to strengthen health outcomes in Indigenous communities.

As Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, I am excited that we have the opportunity to work together to continue developing one of the best health care systems in the world—a system that truly puts patients first. I hope you will join us, and contribute your expertise. We can't succeed without it.

(see full discussion paper here)