PRIORITIES: Home-Based Palliative Care

ENHANCING COMPETENCIES

The CHCA embraces the core philosophy that excellence in palliative care requires more than technical skills or clinical knowledge. It involves a holistic integration of skills, knowledge, and attitude—what we refer to as the “Competency Equation“. This perspective informs all of CHCA’s efforts to advance high-quality, home-based palliative care. By recognizing competencies as dynamic and demonstrated in practice, CHCA champions the development of both clinical and emotional capabilities essential to delivering compassionate, person-centred care.

A National Standard for Palliative Care

The Canadian Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Competency Framework was developed through a partnership between the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Health Canada to support a consistent, high-quality approach to palliative care nationwide. Designed to guide and enhance palliative care delivery in all settings, the Competency Framework outlines a shared set of competencies that represent the foundational expectations—or minimum national standard—for both generalist and specialist healthcare providers across 12 core domains.

The Competency Framework sets a national benchmark for what all healthcare providers should know and be able to do to deliver high-quality, person-centred palliative care. It aims to reduce longstanding variability in how palliative care is understood and practiced across the country, helping to ensure more equitable, timely, and compassionate care for people with life-limiting illnesses.

Competency Framework    |   Framework at a Glance

Expert Perspectives on the Competency Framework

Recognized leaders in the field of palliative care in Canada are championing the Competency Framework as a tool for planning and supporting team-based care, educating and preparing new healthcare providers, enhancing equitable access to care, ensuring patient-centred care and setting a benchmark standard for palliative care across Canada.

Read the testimonials from palliative care thought leaders

Implementing the Canadian Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Competency Framework

SPRINT IMPLEMENTATION COLLABORATIVE

In this video, you’ll hear home care leaders describe how SPRINT is strengthening palliative care and giving teams the tools, support, and shared learning they need to make meaningful change.

The eiCOMPASS Project (2023–2025), led by the CHCA, focused on advancing the adoption of the Competency Framework across home care settings. Through our SPRINT Implementation Collaborative, the CHCA supported home care providers in integrating core palliative care competencies into daily practice using innovative learning courses, practical implementation strategies, and evaluation approaches.  Through the SPRINT Collaborative, organizations successfully embedded the Competency Framework into staff education, clinical workflows and policies —resulting in more consistent, high-quality, person-centred care palliative care in the home setting.

Learn more about the eiCOMPASS Project and the successes achieved through the SPRINT Collaborative
A Guide to Implementing the Canadian Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Competency Framework

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Established in 1990, the Canadian Home Care Association (CHCA) is a national non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing excellence in home and community care.

National Office: 905-567-7373     |    General Inquiries: chca@cdnhomecare.ca

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This post is also available in: French