Shared Health Priorities

As the population ages, more Canadians need home care or services in the community to help them manage their health conditions and live safely at home. As well, Canadians of all ages need timely access to mental health and substance use services, which is an identified area of concern.

Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments recognized these challenges as shared priorities to improve Canadians’ access to home and community care, and to mental health and substance use services. In 2017, FPT governmentsFootnote i endorsed A Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health PrioritiesFootnote ii, accompanied by an $11 billion federal investment over 10 years to lead to improvements in these areas. The following year, they endorsed a common set of 12 pan-Canadian indicators to measure progress on improving access to these areas of health care.

CIHI worked with FPT governments, sector stakeholders, measurement experts and the public to develop and report on these indicators. 2019 marked the first year of indicator reporting, and in 2022, CIHI released the full set of 12 indicators.

Indicator results are updated annually, and indicators are refined as more and better data becomes available. Over time, these indicators will tell a clearer story about access to care across the country and will help identify where there are gaps in services. Understanding where gaps exist will help improve care at the front lines and better meet the needs of Canadian patients and their families. Indicator results reflecting data from the COVID-19 pandemic, and trends over time, should be interpreted in the context of the pandemic.

Latest releases

2023 release

Want to know more about the latest indicator results?

Latest release

Overview and update

Want to know more about the latest Shared Heath Priorities?

Download the overview and update (PPTX)

How we work

Our role

We have long-standing programs of work that measure health system performance. Given our experience, CIHI is well-positioned to facilitate the selection and development of indicators to measure access in these areas.

This work aligns with our mandate to deliver meaningful, comparable information that will accelerate improvement in health care, the performance of health systems and the overall health of the population. The focus on home and community care and on mental health and substance use also aligns with CIHI’s strategic plan.

Shared Health Priorities Advisory Council

The Shared Health Priorities Advisory Council provides strategic guidance on indicator development, in order to represent jurisdictional interests and to support public messaging and outreach.

  • Council members include representatives from provinces, territories, Health Canada, Statistics Canada and CIHI.
  • Council observers include representatives from the Canadian Home Care Association, the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction.

Contact us

If you have any questions or would like more information, email

sharedhealthpriorities@cihi.ca

Footnotes

i.

Back to Footnote i in text

The federal government agreed to an asymmetrical arrangement with Quebec, distinct from the Common Statement of Principles.

ii.

Back to Footnote ii in text

A Common Statement of Principles on Shared Health Priorities (PDF).

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