About Us
The OnSPARK (Ontario Supporting Partnerships to Advance Care and Knowledge) data platform is Ontario's sector-governed learning health system for long-term care.
While long-term care homes collect an extensive amount of data, it is stored across multiple platforms, making it difficult for homes and policymakers to learn from their data and each other.
The problem
To leverage timely, high-quality long-term care data to improve resident well-being, enhance operational efficiency, and drive innovation in the LTC sector through collaboration, research, and technology.
Our mission
How we support long-term care
Anchored at McMaster University and St. Joseph's Health System, and driven by our mission, OnSPARK is building an infrastructure that brings long-term care homes, researchers, health system partners, and government partners onto one platform.
We support them with:
Practical tools to enhance quality improvement, operations, resident care and outcomes
Research and innovation
Sector transformation
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To create a learning health system in long-term care, where real-time data enables continuous quality improvement, personalized care, and transformative research for the benefit of all residents and policymakers.
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Resident and Worker Centred
Focused on improving the lives of residents and supporting the people who care for them, we turn data into insights that can be applied to ensure staff in LTC homes have the information they need to improve resident care, and quality of life.
Partnership and Co-Governance
OnSPARK was built with the sector and continues to be governed by the sector, for the sector. Long-term care providers, researchers, health system leaders and government partners work together to ensure the platform supports real-time decision-making through innovative AI-driven analytics and predictive modelling.
Trust, Privacy and Security
Prioritizing the trust of our partners, we maintain rigorous PHIPA-compliant governance, privacy and security practices so partners can confidently contribute and use data.
Transparency
We are fully accountable to our homes, data contributors and other sector partners through open governance, clear policies and responsible stewardship of data.
The Portal
The OnSPARK platform offers long-term care (LTC) homes access to the OnSPARK Portal, an interactive dashboard that transforms operational data into trusted, actionable insights.
LTC homes use these insights to make informed decisions that improve care and shape the future of the LTC sector.
Establishing OnSPARK
Established in 2023, OnSPARK is a legacy of pandemic-driven research that demonstrated the urgent need for better data systems in long-term care.
Recognizing the critical role of real-time analytics in preventing health crises and improving resident care, McMaster University, PointClickCare, St. Joseph's Health System and leading LTC organizations joined forces to create Canada's first dedicated LTC Data Platform. OnSPARK is funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Long-Term Care.
Our Growing Community
Today, over 30% of Ontario LTC homes have joined OnSPARK to create this shared learning system dedicated to improving the lives of residents and supporting the long-term care staff who care for them.
With strategic support from the Bruyère Research Institute and the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, OnSPARK and our partners are building the future of long-term care innovation and learning, together.