Ottawa, ON – June 25, 2026 — Findings released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information reinforce a critical reality: emergency department pressures are not just a hospital issue, they are a system design issue. Canada’s long-term care sector is caring for increasingly complex residents, yet the workforce does not have consistent access to the training and support needed to deliver a palliative care approach. As a result, too many residents are being transferred to hospital in situations where care could be provided in place. Evidence shows that between 25% and 36% of transfers from long-term care to acute care could be avoided.
“This is exactly the gap Pallium has been working on for years,” said Jeffrey Moat, CEO of Pallium Canada. “If we want to relieve pressure on emergency departments, we need to strengthen care where people are. A targeted federal investment in a national palliative care training standard for long-term care is a practical, evidence-based solution that improves care for residents and families while helping reduce avoidable hospital use.”
This report underlines the need for practical, system-level solutions, including Pallium Canada’s call for a $300 million federal investment in the development and implementation of a palliative care training standard in long-term care.
For more information, please contact:
Barbara Barrett
Impact Canada
343-998-8906
barbara@impactcanada.com
About Pallium Canada
Pallium Canada is a Canadian, registered charitable organization focused on building professional and community capacity to help improve the quality and accessibility of palliative care in Canada. With over twenty-five years of experience and over 100,000 learners reached, Pallium Canada has become the largest palliative care education provider for health systems and health care organizations across Canada, with broad experience and expertise working with partners to implement large-scale regional and provincial capacity-building initiatives.
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