Shaping the future of quality and safety. Together.
Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) is a new organization with a relentless focus on improving healthcare, with – and for – everyone in Canada.
Responding to COVID-19
Even before the pandemic, Canada faced persistent challenges achieving safe, high-quality healthcare for all, and COVID-19 has surfaced gaps in both care and equity. It is also shining a light on creative, highly effective responses to needs, and we have an opportunity to expand the reach of these proven innovations so more people can benefit.
We're responding with partners to contribute resources, expertise and networks to help put quality and safety evidence into action. We’re also helping our partners maintain essential non-COVID-19 care. And, we’ve doubled down on our commitment to help those we work with find meaningful and effective ways to partner with patients, family and caregivers.
Responding to COVID-19
Even before the pandemic, Canada faced persistent challenges achieving safe, high-quality healthcare for all, and COVID-19 has surfaced gaps in both care and equity. It is also shining a light on creative, highly effective responses to needs, and we have an opportunity to expand the reach of these proven innovations so more people can benefit.
We're responding with partners to contribute resources, expertise and networks to help put quality and safety evidence into action. We’re also helping our partners maintain essential non-COVID-19 care. And, we’ve doubled down on our commitment to help those we work with find meaningful and effective ways to partner with patients, family and caregivers.
Our Strategy: Shaping the future of quality and safety. Together.
Check out our new five-year strategy focused on shaping a future where everyone in Canada has safe and high-quality healthcare. Developed with input from people in every province and territory, it captures what excellence in healthcare means to them, the issues that matter most and how we can help.
Our journey, together
Working with you as the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, we achieved a LOT. But there is much more work to do. So we came together to create a new pan-Canadian organization with an expanded capacity and uncompromising focus on raising the bar for quality and patient safety in healthcare.
1996-97
CHSRF created to support evidence-informed decision-making, management and delivery of health services
2012
CHSRF becomes the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
2002
Building a Safer System report recommends creating the Canadian Patient Safety Institute
2003
CPSI created, with funding and support from Health Canada
1996-97
CHSRF created to support evidence-informed decision-making, management and delivery of health services
2012
CHSRF becomes the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
2002
Building a Safer System report recommends creating the Canadian Patient Safety Institute
2003
CPSI created, with funding and support from Health Canada
2015-18
Pivotal reports, Unleashing Innovation and Fit for Purpose, recommend some form of CFHI and CPSI amalgamation
March 2020
CFHI and CPSI take action and announce plans to pursue amalgamation
August 2020
Members vote to approve amalgamation of CPSI and CFHI
October 2020
CEO and Board announced for the newly amalgamated organization
March 2021
Healthcare Excellence Canada is launched
Where we go from here
2021-22This is our opportunity. Over the next year, we want to work with you to craft a new strategy that shapes healthcare quality and safety – together. During this time, we won’t lose the momentum we’ve already built with our partners across the country. Much of the important work already underway through CPSI and CFHI will continue. We will also develop new programs on important priorities, improving equitable access to safe virtual care (with a focus on primary care); and quality and safety in supportive care (which includes long term care, palliative care and home care). Across our programs, we will emphasize equitable and inclusive care; patient, family and caregiver partnership; and health human resource solutions. We will continue to share information widely on how you can help us write this next chapter. Subscribe to our newsletter and/or follow us on social media so that together, we can shape the future of healthcare quality and safety.
Upcoming Activities
In your words
Excellent care is safe care for EVERY patient every time. Patients and families partner in making care safer at all levels. After harm there is support, healing and learning.
Theresa Malloy-Miller, Patients for Patient Safety Canada, Co-chair
Excellence in healthcare is characterized by relationships of mutual care and concern; a system that engenders kindness and is sensitive and responsive to the human needs of all parties.
Allison Kooijman, Patients for Patient Safety Canada, Co-chair
Excellence isn’t achieved in isolation – it’s achieved when we share, learn and collaborate with each other. Healthcare Excellence Canada has a vital opportunity to facilitate connections across provinces and territories, and we look forward to working together in our pursuit of quality care for Canadians.
Christina Krause, Chief Executive Officer, BC Patient Safety & Quality Council
Excellence in health care means creating an equitable system that is co-designed with patients, families, and caregivers. It means delivering value by achieving outcomes that matter to patients.
Tracey Sherin, Chief Executive Officer, Saskatchewan’s Health Quality Council
Pierre-Gerlier Forest, PhD, FCAHS
Dr. Danielle Martin
Excellent care is safe care for EVERY patient every time. Patients and families partner in making care safer at all levels. After harm there is support, healing and learning.
Theresa Malloy-Miller, Patients for Patient Safety Canada, Co-chair
Excellence in healthcare is characterized by relationships of mutual care and concern; a system that engenders kindness and is sensitive and responsive to the human needs of all parties.
Allison Kooijman, Patients for Patient Safety Canada, Co-chair
Excellence isn’t achieved in isolation – it’s achieved when we share, learn and collaborate with each other. Healthcare Excellence Canada has a vital opportunity to facilitate connections across provinces and territories, and we look forward to working together in our pursuit of quality care for Canadians.
Christina Krause, Chief Executive Officer, BC Patient Safety & Quality Council
Excellence in health care means creating an equitable system that is co-designed with patients, families, and caregivers. It means delivering value by achieving outcomes that matter to patients.
Tracey Sherin, Chief Executive Officer, Saskatchewan’s Health Quality Council
Pierre-Gerlier Forest, PhD, FCAHS
Dr. Danielle Martin
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the origins of Healthcare Excellence Canada?
Are there opportunities for me to get involved with Healthcare Excellence Canada?
How will Healthcare Excellence Canada set its priorities? How will you determine what topics to focus on?
How is Healthcare Excellence Canada responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Will Healthcare Excellence Canada continue to focus on patient safety and healthcare improvement more broadly?
Is Healthcare Excellence Canada committed to patient engagement and partnership?
What are the origins of Healthcare Excellence Canada?
Are there opportunities for me to get involved with Healthcare Excellence Canada?
How will Healthcare Excellence Canada set its priorities? How will you determine what topics to focus on?
How is Healthcare Excellence Canada responding to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Will Healthcare Excellence Canada continue to focus on patient safety and healthcare improvement more broadly?
Is Healthcare Excellence Canada committed to patient engagement and partnership?
About the Canadian Patient Safety Institute
Established by Health Canada in 2003, CPSI worked with governments, health organizations, leaders, patients and healthcare providers to inspire extraordinary improvement in patient safety and quality. As the organization begins a new chapter as Healthcare Excellence Canada, tools and resources remain available on the CPSI website.
About the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement
Originally created as the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation in 1996, the organization evolved to embrace a new challenge in 2012 as the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. CFHI worked shoulder-to-shoulder with partners to accelerate the identification, spread and scale of proven healthcare innovations. As we start a new chapter as Healthcare Excellence Canada, tools, resources and opportunities remain available on the CFHI website.
Latest News
Moving forward, together: a holiday message from HEC
Moving forward, together: a holiday message from HEC
Kindness in the Cloud: Reducing online harassment of healthcare professionals, together
Kindness in the Cloud: Reducing online harassment of healthcare professionals, together
Virtual Care Together teams to ensure more people benefit from equitable, safe and high-quality virtual care
Virtual Care Together teams to ensure more people benefit from equitable, safe and high-quality virtual care
Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, First Peoples Wellness Circle and Healthcare Excellence Canada, to Partner to Advance First Nations Mental Health and Wellness
Thunderbird Partnership Foundation, First Peoples Wellness Circle and Healthcare Excellence Canada, to Partner to Advance First Nations Mental Health and Wellness
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Join us in shaping the future of quality and safety. Together. Subscribe to timely updates on the information and opportunities that matter most to you.
Subscribe to timely updates
Join us in shaping the future of quality and safety. Together. Subscribe to timely updates on the information and opportunities that matter most to you.