Essential Cares Partners Proof of Vaccination Policy

Starting October 22, 2021, Essential Care Partners will need to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 to enter UHN

Note: This policy does not apply to patients (person booked for appointment)

Why is UHN limiting who can come to the clinic?

UHN is limiting who can enter all UHN facilities to lower the risk of spreading COVID-19 to patients and staff who care for them. We know family, friends and the people who support you are important partners in your care. They may provide physical and emotional support, care for you at home and help us understand your health. Although they may not be allowed to come with you into the clinic, we do our best to include them in your care.

Only patients with appointments can enter the clinic. Please do not come to the clinic unless you have an appointment.

You may be allowed to bring a support person to be with you during your appointment. We call these support people Essential Care Partners (ECP).

Your support person will not need proof of vaccination if they remain in the waiting room.

What is an Essential Care Partner?

An Essential Care Partner (ECP) is a support person considered essential to the safety and well-being of a patient while they are inside the hospital. There is a maximum of one person who can accompany a patient to their appointment at the TW FHT.

UHN’s definition of patients who can have an ECP with them during their appointment with their TW FHT provider are:

Patients requiring a support person to safely attend their appointment (for example, due to dementia, significant developmental or intellectual delay, inability to effectively communicate, mobility issues that cannot be supported by the health care team);
Patients who are under 18 years old; or
Patients who may be receiving a life altering diagnosis, are experiencing a mental health crisis, or who have a significant development or intellectual delay.

What does fully vaccinated mean?

Fully vaccinated means that you have received all required doses of a Health Canada approved vaccine. Your final dose must have been at least 14 days ago. This includes either 2 doses of either Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, or 1 dose of Janssen/Johnson & Johnson.

How does an ECP provide proof of vaccination?

Before coming to the clinic, download or print your vaccine receipt from the Ontario Vaccination Portal: covid19.ontariohealth.ca.
When you arrive, show the receptionist your government-issued vaccine receipt (for your final dose), along with proof of identify. You can show a paper or digital copy of your vaccine receipt.

If you need help accessing your vaccine receipt, the receptionist can help you. Please have your Ontario Health (OHIP) Card and your postal code ready, and allow extra time for this process. If you received a Health Canada-approved vaccine in another province or country, please bring government-issued proof from that jurisdiction, along with proof of identification.

Will there be any exceptions to the ECP Vaccination Policy?

If you are an ECP, but do not have proof of full vaccination, you will need to show a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (within 48 hours of appointment) to reception in order to attend the appointment. In very rare circumstances, we may be able to offer a rapid antigen test at reception. If this is the case, please arrive 15 minutes before the patient’s appointment time.

Where can I learn more about COVID-19 policies at UHN?

Visit https://www.uhn.ca/covid19#. For updates specifically about visitor restrictions and ECP requirements, click on the UHN website, Visitor Restrictions section.

For any concerns please contact UHN Patient Relations at 416 340 4907 or patientrelations@uhn.ca

We thank you for your patience and support.