Admission Guidelines

Admission Guideline Development

Admission guidelines at Roger Neilson House are reviewed annually to ensure the needs of the children and families we serve are best met as we continue to grow.

Prioritization

Admissions are prioritized as follows (highest to lowest priority):

  1. End of life care
  2. Emergency respite
  3. Symptom management
  4. Pre- Booked Respite
  5. Transition from hospital to home (care by parent with nursing backup)

End of Life Care

  • Priority for admission is always given to children who are at the end of their lives.
  • Those children who are in the terminal phase of their illness will be given additional consideration for admission stays, understanding that they may have increased physical & emotional needs.

Emergency Respite

  • Available to children whose primary caregiver is ill and not able to care for them or to families who are experiencing a crisis.
  • Will be accommodated within 24 hours of the request for a maximum of 72 hours. Extensions may be provided as occupancy and resources permit.

Respite (for families living in Ontario)

  • Each child followed by the Palliative Care Outreach Team at CHEO is entitled to 28 days per year of pre-booked respite time. While we will make every effort to honour these bookings, it is important that families have a contingency plan in the event these admissions need to be cancelled due to a higher priority need.
  • Two pre-booked respite visits are accommodated at any one time, allowing space for unexpected higher priority admissions.
  • Each family is entitled to two holiday weekends per year and either the Christmas holiday or March break each year.
  • Maximum length of stay is two weeks; 10 days during the summer months (June 15 – September 1).
  • Two months notice is recommended for peak periods (holidays, March break, and summer months) to permit resource planning.