Home Care and Support Services
Scope:
Health Standards Organization (HSO) is developing a National Standard of Canada (NSC) for Home Care and Support Services, CAN/HSO 35001:2025. This standard will focus on enabling high-quality, people-centered care in the home that meets the care needs and preferences of people of all ages across the spectrum of acuity. The standard will provide clear requirements and accountabilities to support home care clients and families, teams, leaders and other stakeholders as they work together towards achieving: personalized and safe home care practices, committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and cultural safety; coordinated care and integrated services; a healthy, safe, and competent workforce and a quality improvement and outcomes-focused culture. This new standard would replace the current standards Home Care Services HSO 35001:2018 and Home Support Services HSO 35002:2018.
Project need:
The need and demand for home care and support services was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic and is rapidly growing as a critical component of an effective health care system. Home care services include a wide range of programs such as:
- Short-term support to those recovering from surgery or acute medical conditions
- Long-term support to allow people with chronic conditions to continue living in the community
- Other specialized programs, such as end-of-life care and rehabilitation
People of all ages want to stay at home for as long as possible, shifting the societal expectations of home care and support services. The severity and medical complexity of those requiring home care have also changed, spurring on innovation and new models of care across the country.
Care is defined as actions taken to address social, physical, personal, emotional, psychological, cultural, spiritual, and/or medical needs that support the health and well-being of people. Care and support can be provided by both paid and unpaid providers in a variety of settings (adapted from ISO, 2021).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, home care was perceived as the preferred setting for care as it was seen as the safest. However, the pandemic exposed deficiencies in home care and support services models, such as fragmentation, human resource shortages, pay inequities and the overall quality of care
that individuals receive. The pandemic also disproportionally affected Indigenous communities highlighting structural inequities, racism and issues with access to health services. [1] The lack of integration in the way in which home care and support services are currently designed, resourced, organised and delivered is resulting in unmet home care needs, poorer health and emotional well-being, and increased use of other health services including admission to long-term care homes and hospitals.
In Canada, the administration and delivery of health care, including home care, is the responsibility of the provinces and territories. In 2017, a Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities was endorsed by all levels of government, committing to new approaches to enhance home and community care. This has included:
- A commitment of $6 billion dollars by the federal government for the provinces and territories over 10 years to assist with improving access to appropriate home and community care. [2]
- A commitment of federal, provincial and territorial governments to work with First Nations, Inuit and Metis to improve access and health outcomes through a lens that promotes respect and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. [3]
- The announcement of the Age Well at Home initiative with a $90 million investment [4] in the Federal 2021 budget.
- The announcement of the Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program which committed $960 million over three years.
In a post-COVID world, the home care services landscape is changing with the diversity and needs of clients, new care models, emerging technologies and shifting organizational roles and accountabilities. Home Care and Support Services CAN/HSO 35001:2025 will focus on enabling the delivery of personalized and safe home care practices; coordinated care and integrated services; a healthy, safe, and competent workforce and a quality improvement and outcomes-focused culture.
Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.
Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.