Background

In October 2005, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) announced a new initiative in support of its End-of-Life Care Strategy to:

• Help shift care of persons in the last stages of their life from hospitals to home or another appropriate setting of their choice;
• Enhance an interdisciplinary team approach to care in the community ; and
• Work towards better coordination and integration of local services.
  
  

Later in 2006, the MOHLTC announced the creation of the 'Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultation Service" as part of this initiative, to be enacted in 2007 throughout Ontario.

The Dorothy Ley Hospice was selected by the MOHLTC as the sponsoring agency for the administration and delivery of the Palliative Pain and Symptom Management Consultation Service for the city of Toronto (PPSMC Service for Toronto).

Our partner in this endeavour is the Toronto Palliative Care Network (TPCN) who will act as an advisory group for the PPSMC Service for Toronto, as per MOHLTC policy.

At the onset of the design phase for the PPSMC Service for Toronto, a consultative research process was undertaken to ensure that the views and ideas of several stakeholders was captured, and that simultaneously, a commitment to partnering was affirmed within the broader palliative care community.

The Dorothy Ley Hospice thanks the many health care professionals who participated with the design phase to establish this service.