The Provincial Long-Term Ventilation Strategy (PLTVS) was established by the Ministry of Health and Critical Care Services Ontario in 2021. The Initial intent of the PLTVS was to:

• Effectively reduce pressure on ICUs across the province
• Create capacity for patients with prolonged ventilation to transition safely to the community
• Support patients with complex medical conditions to maintain clinical stability in the community

UHN supports the PLTVS Secretariat, which works closely with Ontario hospitals, community organizations and provincial health system organizations in the Hub and Spoke model. The Strategy Hubs are the London Health Sciences Centre in the West Region, Michael Garron Hospital and West Park Healthcare Centre in the Central Region and The Ottawa Hospital in the East Region. Each Hub connects to Spokes, in this case, the community hospitals, long-term ventilation programs and ICUs delivering services in the geographic region. There are three Hubs and over 105 Spokes across the province. This structure will enable patients who previously required ventilation support in a hospital to safely transition to an alternate care setting within their community.

The Strategy:

• Supports access to intensive care unit (ICU) beds available for those who need them the most.
• Improves the quality of life for people requiring long-term ventilation by allowing these individuals to receive specialized care closer to home.
• Reduces unnecessary emergency department and ICU visits.
• Coordinates LTV expertise from across the province to establish and initiate best practice standards in LTV care, ensuring standardized LTV care is available for all Ontarians closer to where they live.
• Coordinate existing resources from across the province to support better patient care.

In September 2024, the Ministry of Health announced it would continue to support the Provincial Long-Term Ventilation Strategy by providing annualized funding to build on the Strategy's progress in managing patients with complex respiratory needs in the community, improving patient flow out of ICUs and supporting and coordinating clinical care options closer to home.

The diagrams below outline the Hub and Spoke structure of the Strategy in our three regions - Central, East and West.