Emergency Health Services
Ontario’s emergency health services system is made up of:
- Emergency medical services provided through land and air ambulance
- Ambulance communication services to connect patients with ambulance care
- Base hospital programs that support paramedics and the ambulance system.
All of these emergency health services work together to provide timely pre-hospital care to people across Ontario. They are regulated under the Ambulance Act, its regulations and standards.
- Land Ambulance Services
- Air Ambulance Services and Critical Care Services
- Ambulance Communication Services
- Base Hospitals
- Managing Ontario’s Emergency Health System
- Contact Us
Land Ambulance Services
Upper tier municipalities in Ontario – and designated delivery agents – provide ambulance services directly or through selected operators. They are responsible for ensuring that patient care and ambulance transportation are carried out effectively.
They are also responsible for supervising staff, maintaining vehicles and equipment, and assuring the quality of service delivery.
Specialized ambulance vehicles support the transportation of critically ill neonates and children from hospitals across the province to Ontario’s four tertiary paediatric centres.
Air Ambulance Services and Critical Care Services
Ornge is Ontario’s designated air ambulance provider. They also transfer critically ill patients between health care facilities through their Critical Care Land Ambulance Units.
Ambulance Communication Services
Ambulance communication services provide essential support to the ambulance system as the first point of contact by a person in need of emergency medical services.
The Ministry of Health provides ambulance communications officer training and certification for 9-1-1 call-taking and dispatching ambulances. Ambulance communications officers help ensure that emergency coverage is balanced within their geographical region according to the deployment plans of ambulance services.
Base Hospitals
The Ministry of Health’s base hospital program supports the ambulance system by providing medical oversight for the delivery of pre-hospital care.
Base hospitals provide annual training and certification, while also overseeing controlled medical acts performed by paramedics. Base hospitals also provide quality assurance monitoring of the medical direction and patient care performed.
Base hospital programs operate under a host hospital that has a signed performance agreement with the ministry.
They are responsible for the delegation of controlled medical acts, training, and quality assurance of patient care provided by paramedics.
A medical advisory committee comprised of regional base hospitals and other sector partners advises the ministry on matters related to ambulance-based pre-hospital patient care standards.
Managing Ontario’s Emergency Health System
The Ministry of Health manages emergency health services in Ontario through the Emergency Health Services Division.
This division is responsible for oversight of the emergency health system and direct delivery of some services, including but not limited to:
- Establishing standards for patient care and transportation, communicable disease requirements, documentation requirements, and equipment required to be carried within emergency vehicles
- Designating base hospitals and ambulance communication services to support the delivery of paramedic services
- Investigating and responding to complaints
- Certifying ambulance services and ambulance model manufacturers
- Inspecting ambulance service operators, ambulance communication services, and base hospitals
- Credentialing paramedics
- Providing provincial funding to support the provision of land and air ambulance services
- Directly operating or providing transfer payments for the provision of ambulance communications services
- Developing policy for the emergency health sector.
Contact Us
Emergency Health Services
5700 Yonge Street, 6th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M2M 4K5
Tel: 1-800-461-6431 (Toll-free in Ontario only)
In Toronto: (416) 327-7900
Fax: 416-327-7911
Email: websitecontact.moh@ontario.ca
Complaints and Investigations
