Essential care partners provide physical, psychological and emotional support, as deemed important by the patient/resident. This care can include support in decision making, care coordination and continuity of care. Essential care partners can include family members, close friends or other caregivers and are identified by the patient or substitute decision maker.ⁱ

There’s a difference between essential care partners and visitors. Essential care partners are necessary to the safety, quality of care, health outcomes and well-being of patients and residents. Visitors have an important social role but aren’t actively involved in care.

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i. Healthcare Excellence Canada, Policy Guidance for the Reintegration of Caregivers as Essential Care Partners. September 2021. https://www.healthcareexcellence.ca/media/4btksgep/202110_policyguidance_en.pdf

An Essential Care Partner program can help an organization to solidify their commitment to recognizing family caregivers as essential partners in care. Essential Care Partner programs involve the implementation of policies and leading practices, so caregivers are identified, included, and supported to participate as part of the patient/resident care team. They also remove barriers to care partner presence – even during health system pressures and outbreaks. Essential Care Partner programs are often part of a larger organizational culture shift towards more person and family-centred care.

Evidence shows that when providers include caregivers as part of the care team, it improves patient/resident health outcomes, leads to a better experience for front-line providers and caregivers, and alleviates health system pressures. COVID-19 restrictions uncovered new learnings about the risks to patients and the health care system when caregivers are not able to participate in care.

Essential Care Partner programs in hospitals and long-term care homes are an important strategy for addressing current pressures in the health care system. They also lay the foundation for long-term recognition of the essential role of caregivers as part of our collective commitment to person-centred care and strengthening the relationship between staff, patients/residents and families.

Essential Care Partner Evidence Summary for Hospitals
Essential Care Partner Evidence Summary for Long-Term Care Homes

These guiding principles lay the groundwork for organizational commitment to Essential Care Partner program implementation or improvement.

• Recognize that essential care partners (caregivers) are distinct from visitors and are necessary to the safety, quality of care, and health outcomes and well-being of patients/residents
• Recognize that restrictions to essential care partner inclusion can result in:
  • Harm to patients/residents, particularly for vulnerable populations
  • Increased caregiver distress
  • Greater demands on the health-care team and the health care system as a whole
• Include and value the essential care partner as a part of the care team
• Enable and empower patients/residents to designate their essential care partners
• Minimize barriers to the presence and participation of essential care partners at all times, including during outbreaks and system capacity challenges
• Meaningfully engage care partners and patients/residents in the design and development of policies and person-centred practices related to visitors and essential care partners

The following leading practices demonstrate the key components of successful Essential Care Partner programs under each area of focus – Identify, Include and Support the essential care partner.

Essential Care Partner Leading Practices for Hospitals
Essential Care Partner Leading Practices for Long-Term Care Homes