Accessing CHEO Palliative Care and Roger Neilson House

Roger Neilson House is supported by the CHEO Pediatric Palliative Care Outreach Program. Children and families who require and wish to receive services from Roger Neilson House must have been referred to the CHEO Palliative Care Program. Non-urgent referrals can be sent via regular or interdepartmental mail to the CHEO Pediatric Palliative Care Outreach Program. If the referral is of an urgent nature, call CHEO at 613-737-7600 #0 and ask to be connected with the Palliative Care physician or nurse.  The team is available 24/7.

The referral must be from a physician. This physician can be your community family physician or pediatrician or a consultant you see on a regular basis at CHEO.

The intake team reviews the referrals and makes a preliminary decision regarding eligibility. A meeting between the intake team members, the family and the child is required. If the child is deemed eligible for the CHEO program services, the family will be informed and a written letter will be sent to the referring physician to inform them of the team’s decision. The team will inform the family and child regarding eligibility to receive care at Roger Neilson House.

Eligibility criteria

  1. Referral to CHEO Pediatric Palliative Care Outreach team
  2. Children and youth up to their 19th birthday
  3. Ontario resident with valid OHIP coverage, unless other funding arrangements have been made
  4. Life-limiting illness with progressive decline in health status
  5. Family and patient must be willing to confront the challenging issues around the illness and death with the help of the multidisciplinary team

An individual plan of care (care directives) will be developed in collaboration with the child and family’s needs in mind.

Children referred to either the CHEO or Roger Neilson House Program may be deemed ineligible. Should their medical condition change they can become eligible following reassessment. Pleased be assured careful consideration is given to all referrals.