For providers navigating end-of-life care, a guide to help find the way

April 14, 2026.

“As health-care providers, we all want to provide a positive experience for patients and their loved ones at the end of life, and there is a lot of pressure to get it right. This guide gathers some of the most frequently requested tidbits and ‘how-to’ tips for providing palliative and end-of-life care here in the FLA OHT region”, states Megan Conboy, a clinical coach in palliative care with Kingston Community Health Centres and the Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Ontario Health Team (FLA OHT).

That pressure is something many providers recognize.

Dr. Sarah Thompson had been following her patient for a long time. Though nothing had changed suddenly, she had noticed over the past few weeks that there had been a progression. The patient, Mr. Julien Lefebvre, was more tired and it was becoming more difficult to get out of the house for appointments. During the last visit, his daughter asked a question that stayed with her: “What should we expect now?”

While Dr. Thompson understood the situation, what came next was less clear. 

She needed to think beyond the medical aspect: who should be involved, how to organize care at home, who would be available if symptoms became difficult to manage, especially after hours, and who would take responsibility for the patient at the end of life.

These are typical concerns for providers, according to Conboy. But the problem is that the system is not always easy to navigate. There is no single access point, and care is often spread across multiple organizations. When patient records are not shared between teams, communication is challenging, and so is continuity of care. On top of that, staff shortages affect every part of the system.

The result, as Conboy explains, is that knowing what help exists, where to find it and how to access it can be just as difficult for providers as it is for patients. 

That's what prompted the FLA OHT, with input from Conboy, to put something together and make the process a little easier: the guide Tips for Primary Care & Community Health-Care Providers: A ‘How-to Guide’ for Accessing Palliative & End-of-life Care in Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, was created to support providers in navigating these situations. Physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and care coordinators, and allied health providers can now use this online resource to help plan palliative and end-of-life care. In simple terms, it helps providers navigate the services that already exist in the FLA region.

For a patient living at home, the first step is usually to connect them with Ontario Health atHome. A care coordinator will then assess the patient’s needs and help arrange the right supports, such as nursing for pain and symptom management. Anyone can make a referral, including the provider, the patient or a family member. The next step is to identify who will be the most responsible doctor or nurse practitioner for end-of-life care. This person will provide home visits and be available after hours if support is needed.

The guide outlines the options available in the FLA region, including for patients who do not have a family physician or nurse practitioner. It can be found on the FLA OHT website alongside a number of other resources intended to support health-care teams in accessing palliative and end-of-life care.  

For patients and caregivers looking for more information, “I would encourage them to check out the new resource page: Palliative Care Resources for Patients & Caregivers, also located on the FLA OHT website” says Conboy.

Every patient’s situation is different. There is no single approach that works for everyone. Care needs to be adapted to the patient’s condition, their home environment and the people around them. The guide does not try to impose a fixed model. Instead, it helps providers think through each situation and build a plan that fits.

It is not a perfect solution. But it gives providers something they often don’t have: a clearer starting point and a better understanding of how to navigate a system that can otherwise feel difficult to manage.