A home health care worker is defined as a person who provides health care services in private homes, arranged by a community care access corporation or an entity that receives funding from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care or a Local Health Integration Network.

• Home health care workers have the right to ask a person not to smoke in their presence while they are providing health care services.
• If anyone refuses the request, the home health care worker can leave without providing further services—unless doing so would present an immediate, serious danger to the health of any person.

Within 30 minutes, or as soon as is reasonably possible after that, the home health care worker must phone their employer to advise that they have left, and to provide information about the circumstances and care requirements of the client over the next 24 hours. As well, the home health care worker must follow any guidelines provided by the employer that are reasonably aimed at ensuring the person to whom the health care services were being provided or were to be provided is kept safe and provided with a reasonable level of care.


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