The relatively new government in Ontario, through the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, has released the province's new Patient Declaration of Values. The document was prepared for the Ministry by the Minister’s Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC). The PFAC is a formalized body that provides advice and recommendations to the Minister on matters relating to patients, families, caregivers and the health system.
As stated in their own news release:
The Declaration is a vision that articulates a path toward patient partnership across the health care system in Ontario. It describes a set of foundational principles that are considered from the perspective of Ontario patients and serves as a guidance document for those involved in our health care system.
The Declaration champions the shift for the role of patients, families and caregivers across the health care system in Ontario and outlines expectations about values, resources and supports that should be prioritized.
It is intended to serve as a guide at all levels of the health care system for the planning and delivery of health care policy, programs and services. The focus is on the patients and their becoming partners within the system.
The Declaration is grounded in five core elements that all deal with how health care should be delivered to patients. They are:
The document serves as a guide to the reasonable and necessary expectations of patients when receiving care. This was a consultive report with opportunities being made for input from patients, caregivers, volunteers and the community. Although many hospitals and care facilities have their own codes or standards in place, this is a province-wide declaration for all of Ontario. It will be interesting to see how it is used and by whom. It will no doubt be relied upon for standard of care arguments in the future.
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Proposed amendments would allow specified PSWs to administer medication to residents in long-term care when authorized by a member of the registered staff.