Santé Québec says home support services are improving

(Luca Bruno/The Associated Press)

Santé Québec is pleased that since it took office, two indicators have been in the green in terms of home care.

Compared to last year, 9,300 more users are receiving home support, and the waiting list for first-time services has fallen by 12 per cent.

However, there has been a reduction in the number of hours offered.

In 2024-2025, 395,700 people in Quebec received home care services, representing a 2.4 per cent increase over the previous period. A total of 38.2 million hours were provided this year, 400,000 fewer than in 2023-2024.

Santé Québec director of residential services and accommodation, Paul Guyot, attributes the results to three main factors.

Case loads (time spent with users) were reviewed; staff travel routes were optimized to see as many users as possible; and the administrative burden was reduced.

The reduction in paperwork has freed up more than 100,000 hours, which are now devoted to direct care, according to Santé Québec.

Regarding the reduction in the number of hours for users, Guyot said that the assessment of individuals is still aimed at meeting their needs, but with the right type of intervention.

“In some cases, the need can be met by someone other than the network directly,” he said. “And sometimes, the need has worsened over time, and home support or home care may no longer be the solution for that person, but rather accommodation.

“After a certain number of hours at home, it becomes complicated to keep someone at home, for their safety, their quality of life and the quality of life of their loved ones. [...] We try to generalise home support, but it’s important to understand that it’s really a case-by-case situation for users across the province.”

There are many factors behind the decline in the number of hours.

“There were budget surpluses, and at other times there were fewer. There was independent labour in the facilities that was very active before last year, but that has been completely stopped in the network over the past year. These are factors that have an impact on the figures,” said Guyot.

Asked to comment on the Santé Québec data, J. Benoit Caron, executive director of the social economy home care cooperation network (EÉSAD), points out that intervening more quickly with certain people means that their health does not deteriorate as quickly, which requires fewer hours of service.

“This could be one possible explanation,” he said.

‘A shift is underway’

The EÉSAD indicators are also positive. One of their programs, administered by the Québec health insurance plan, shows encouraging results.

“For the year 2024-2025, whether in terms of number of hours or number of users, growth varies from 8 to 11 per cent in all aspects,” he said.

For example, there are 6.1 million hours of services, which is about 200,000 more than last year.

Social economy enterprises are external providers to the health-care network, but they work with it to complement the services offered.

“I don’t want to paint a rosy picture, but as we speak, I only see improvements,” said Caron.

He believes that “a shift is taking place.”

He referred in particular to the expansion of the financial exemption program for domestic help services.

“What we have been calling for for two years is to also include personal assistance and respite services, and the response has been positive,” he said.

Stop multiplying the number of stakeholders

In collaboration with Santé Québec and the Ministry of Health, the EÉSADs will participate in pilot projects in certain regions of Quebec with the goal of rolling out all services by spring 2026.

“Our demands have been heard,” said Caron.

To date, EÉSADs have trained 3,500 home helpers to provide personal assistance services, and another 250 will be trained this fall.

“We favour a mixed approach, which means that if we have a home helper who goes to do housework, if she is trained, she can also help the person get dressed, wash, etc. This means we won’t have a proliferation of caregivers,” said Caron.

Guyot also pointed out that a home support policy is expected this autumn.

“Home support is really the preferred approach, both for the ministry and for Santé Québec. It’s really the direction we’re moving in. [...] Staying at home is also what people want,” he said, adding that beyond the numbers, care and services allow people to stay in their homes as long as possible, which gives them quality of life.

The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 4, 2025.