An Ontario Health Team is a group of health care providers and organizations that work as one coordinated team for the people in their community — no matter where they provide care.
Ontario Health Teams were introduced in 2019 to build a health care system centred on patients, families and caregivers. Under this model, hospitals, family doctors and nurse practitioners, home and community care agencies, mental health and addictions services, long-term care homes and community support agencies plan together, share information appropriately, and help people move between providers without starting over each time.
There are 58 Ontario Health Teams across the province, so that everyone in Ontario can have the support of one. Scarborough’s is the Scarborough Ontario Health Team.
What an OHT does for you
- Helps you find a family doctor or nurse practitioner, and connects you to a team when you need more than one kind of care.
- Coordinates care for people with complex needs — for example an older adult living with several chronic conditions — so hospital, home care and community services work from one plan.
- Gives patients, families and caregivers a seat at the table when care is designed. At SOHT that is the Client and Family Advisory Committee.
- Uses local data to see where care is missing and to plan services where they are needed most.
What an OHT is not
An OHT does not replace your family doctor, your hospital or the agencies you already use. It is the way they work together. You do not sign up; if you live in or use health services in Scarborough, SOHT’s partners are already planning with you in mind.
Read more about the model on the Government of Ontario’s page Ontario Health Teams.
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