Improving access to long-term care is important for any Ontarian needing care at the right time and at the right place. What is equally important, however, is embedding equity into the roadmap to improve access to care for all Ontarians. If we want a long-term care system to provide equitable access to care, it is critical to understand whether there are any disparities in accessing care in the current system.
This report describes disparities in long-term care wait times across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), using administrative data from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) from 2012/2013 to 2017/2018. This study explores whether wait times vary by region, age, gender, language, residence type, and client’s level of care needs, and whether any existing disparities have changed over time.