Test results
Chasing a late or unclear result, then explaining what it means for daily life.
Private home care · Winnipeg
Health Advocacy in Winnipeg
When a parent is in hospital, waiting on public home care from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) or facing a hard treatment decision, a nurse from our Winnipeg team works through it with the family.
Nursing support is available 24/7.
Free in-home assessment. No obligation.
What Advocacy Covers
One Nurse Keeping Track for the Family
Our health advocacy service gives the family a nurse who talks with the person's doctors and keeps relatives informed. A Registered Nurse (RN) assesses each client at home before services start, writes the care plan and keeps oversight of it.
Advocacy can sit alongside nursing visits or a Health Care Aide (HCA) for personal care. Families choose the mix.
Talk through your optionsThe Nurse's Role
What Our Nurse Takes On
Physician calls
Speaking with the family doctor or a specialist about changes our team has seen.
Early warning
Noticing a shift in appetite, sleep, mood or balance and raising it with whoever can act on it.
Discharge paperwork
Reviewing the hospital's instructions and lining up the support needed once the person is home.
Family updates
Relatives near or far stay informed. Invited family can also read visit schedules and caregiver notes in the Family Room, our online portal.
WRHA meetings
Helping relatives prepare for the home care assessment, where the WRHA case coordinator and family agree on a plan.
WRHA Home Care
Asking for a Public Home Care Assessment
Public home care in Winnipeg begins with a call to the WRHA Home Care Intake Line at (204) 788-8330. The person must be a Manitoba resident registered with Manitoba Health who requires health services or daily-living help to remain safely at home, beyond what current supports give.
The assessment is carried out by a case coordinator, a health care professional. If the person qualifies, they, their family and the coordinator settle on a care plan, and the person receives a copy signed by both. Our nurse can go over the health history with relatives beforehand.
WRHA data reported by CBC in April 2026 put the median wait for an assessment in the Winnipeg health region at 14 to 16 days from 2021 to 2025. Manitoba's home care guide also asks each family to name a backup plan and share it with the case coordinator. Private visits from Integracare can form part of that plan.
Home Care Decisions
Questioning an Assessment or Care Plan
Manitoba's home care guide sets an order for raising a problem with an assessment, care plan or services.
1. The case coordinator
Describe what is going wrong. Our nurse can help the family put the issue in writing, with dates and examples.
2. A supervisor
If that does not settle it, ask for a WRHA supervisor or a member of its complaint management staff.
3. The Manitoba Health Appeal Board
When those options run out, the board hears appeals on eligibility, type of service and level of service: (204) 945-5408 or 1 (866) 744-3257. A challenge to a panel decision on supportive housing or a personal care home (Manitoba's term for long-term care) must reach the board within 30 days of the notice, unless it allows longer.
Hospital Stays
From the Ward to the Front Door
In Winnipeg hospitals, planning for the return home starts almost on the day of admission. The WRHA calls family, friends and caregivers Partners in Care, and the hospital team helps patients connect with community supports such as home care.
One stay can involve several moves: from a medical unit to a rehabilitation unit such as Stroke Rehabilitation, from emergency to a Transitional Care Unit, or to a hospice or palliative care setting.
Whether the stay is at Grace Hospital, Health Sciences Centre, St. Boniface Hospital or elsewhere, contact our team before discharge. The nurse can read the discharge instructions with you and arrange help for the first days back.
Planning Ahead
Health Care Directives and Proxies
Under Manitoba's Health Care Directives Act, a person can name a proxy: someone chosen to make health care decisions for them if they can no longer decide or speak for themselves.
Health professionals are not obliged to search for a signed directive or to ask whether one exists. Tell the family doctor and close relatives where the document is kept, and bring a copy to any hospital admission. Any signed and dated paper with the same information can serve as one.
If the person has a directive, give our nurse the proxy's name.
Bring a Nurse In Before the Next Appointment
Call or book an in-home assessment. A Registered Nurse visits, learns the health history and writes the care plan with you.
Local Resources
Other Health Advocacy Help in Winnipeg
Other organizations run these offices and lines. Each sets its own rules, and Integracare is separate from all of them.
WRHA Client Relations
- What it handles
- WRHA care issues not settled with staff on site. A relative who calls needs the patient's legal permission before staff can look into the case.
- How to reach it
- (204) 926-7825. A coordinator calls back or redirects the call within 2 business days.
Patient relations, Health Sciences Centre
- What it handles
- Concerns about care at Health Sciences Centre, run by Shared Health, Manitoba's provincial health organization.
- How to reach it
- (204) 787-2704
Patient relations, St. Boniface Hospital
- What it handles
- Concerns about care at St. Boniface Hospital.
- How to reach it
- (204) 237-2306
Manitoba Ombudsman
- What it handles
- Complaints about health authorities and other public bodies, after the person has tried to resolve the matter with that body. It cannot investigate private businesses and does not act as an advocate for complainants.
- How to reach it
- 1 (800) 665-0531, free of charge
Protection for Persons in Care Office
- What it handles
- Suspected abuse or neglect of adults in personal care homes, hospitals and other designated health facilities. Reporting it is mandatory.
- How to reach it
- (204) 788-6366, or 1 (866) 440-6366 from outside Winnipeg
WRHA Critical Incident Reporting and Support Line
- What it handles
- A suspected critical incident in care the WRHA provides or funds. Anyone may report, and callers can remain anonymous.
- How to reach it
- (204) 788-8222, 24 hours a day
A & O: Support Services for Older Adults
- What it handles
- Counselling and safety planning for Manitobans 55 and older abused or neglected by family, friends or others they trust.
- How to reach it
- (204) 956-6440 or 1 (888) 333-3121, weekdays
Professional regulatory bodies
- What it handles
- A regulated professional's conduct. The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba handles RNs, and the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba handles Licensed Practical Nurses.
- How to reach it
- The college for that profession
Health Links – Info Santé
- What it handles
- Bilingual Registered Nurses assess symptoms and give advice by phone, 24/7. Interpreters cover more than 200 languages. Integracare clients can also call our nurse line at any hour.
- How to reach it
- (204) 788-8200, or toll-free across Manitoba at 1 (888) 315-9257
Common Questions
Health Advocacy Questions From Winnipeg Families
Can your nurse speak with our family doctor?
Yes. Talking with physicians and following up on test results are central to the service. At the assessment, name the doctors and the relatives the person wants kept up to date.
Can I raise a problem about a parent's hospital care for them?
Yes, with the parent's agreement. WRHA Client Relations needs the patient's legal permission before staff look into the care. Begin with the team on the unit, then call Client Relations if that does not resolve it.
Does the Protection for Persons in Care Office cover care in a private home?
No. Its Act covers adults in personal care homes, hospitals and other designated health facilities. For an older adult harmed at home by someone they trust, A & O offers counselling and safety planning. In an emergency, call 9-1-1 first.
How does an application for a personal care home work?
In Winnipeg the approval process is called paneling, and it needs the person's consent. A long-term care navigator first confirms that community options have been explored. Panel dates and the waiting lists are handled by the WRHA Long Term Care Access Centre, (204) 940-8670.
Who do we contact about a concern with Integracare?
Our Winnipeg team, led by Director Dennis Fancy. We reply within one business day and prioritize an urgent matter the same day. Our RNs are registered with the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba and our Licensed Practical Nurses with the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba, and an RN oversees every plan. A nurse's professional conduct can be raised with that nurse's college. Manitoba Health does not license private home care companies, and the Manitoba Ombudsman cannot investigate them.
Other Services
More Care in Winnipeg
Home Care in Winnipeg
Nursing Care in Winnipeg
Health Care Aides in Winnipeg
Dementia Care in Winnipeg
Palliative Care in Winnipeg
Stroke Care in Winnipeg
We also provide health advocacy in Greater Toronto and health advocacy in Ottawa.
Free In-Home Assessment
Ask About Health Advocacy in Winnipeg
Tell us where things stand with the hospital, the doctors or WRHA Home Care, and our team will reply within one business day to arrange the nurse's visit.
Prefer to talk?
Winnipeg(204) 977-7575 ↗Toll-free1 (800) 891-4197 ↗We serve families across Greater Winnipeg. See the areas we cover
Clinically reviewed by Bethel McMaster, BScN, RN ·