Results at a Glance - Evaluation of the Pan-Canadian Health Organizations

Program context

Health Canada funds seven independent non-profit Pan-Canadian Health Organizations (PCHO) through contribution agreements. While each PCHO has a distinct area of focus, all the PCHOs support and encourage sustainable and adaptable health systems by working with provinces, territories, and other entities and partners on Pan-Canadian health issues, needs and priorities. The arms-length and autonomous nature of the PCHOs is intended to enable them to work more effectively with entities, partners, and communities where it is difficult for the federal government to directly engage.

PCHOs Annual Contribution from Health Canada (2022-23):

• Canadian Health Infoway: $38.5M
• Canadian Agency For Drugs And Technologies in Health: $28.5M
• Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction: $12M
• Canadian Institute for Health Information: $99M
• Canadian Partnership Against Cancer: $47.5M
• Healthcare Excellence Canada: $25.1M
• Mental Health Commission of Canada: $15.8M

Evaluation approach

The evaluation covered PCHO activities and the management of PCHOs by Health Canada from 2018–19 to 2022–23.

Methodology:

• Document file and review
• Performance data review
• Survey
• Key informant interviews
• Environmental scan
• Financial data review

What the evaluation found

The PCHOs have responded to emerging issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, while uniquely filling a needed role in the Canadian health system, and collaborating with partners and each other to advance their respective mandates. Structural changes and organizational adaptations at Health Canada and within the PCHOs have allowed both to take steps towards addressing issues identified in the 2018 Fit for Purpose review.

The PCHOs have made individual and collective progress towards their shared goals of enhancing health system capacity, changing the behaviour of health care decision makers, and supporting improvements in health systems. The PCHOs also demonstrated flexibility by pivoting activities to respond to the pandemic while continuing to advance longstanding initiatives. Going forward, there are opportunities to better demonstrate individual PCHO and collective impacts to shared outcomes through updated performance indicators.

There have been improvements in the collaborative relationship between Health Canada and the PCHOs, bolstered by formal and informal governance and communication mechanisms. This has resulted in greater clarity on federal priorities for the PCHOs and improved information sharing between Health Canada and the PCHOs.

There were challenges with information flow between senior management and operational staff, and between various branches of Health Canada and other members of the Health Portfolio. These challenges could be addressed by improving the consistency and quality of briefings, and by examining available governance mechanisms. Health Canada could improve prioritization of their requests to PCHOs, particularly when they require organizations pivot from their original workplans. Consistency of messaging to PCHOs from across Health Canada and the Health Portfolio should also be sought.

Recommendations

1. Examine opportunities to improve internal and Health Portfolio governance mechanisms to support Health Canada's approach to managing the PCHO suite.
2. Implement strategies to prioritize requests from the Health Portfolio, with consideration of the potential impact on existing PCHO workplans.
3. Work with the PCHOs to examine indicators used for collective reporting across the PCHO suite.