Leveraging Health Workforce Data in Long-Term Care for Quality Improvement and Health Workforce Planning: 

The OnSPARK Data Platform

By Michaella Miller & Arthur Sweetman | September, 2025

What is OnSPARK?

OnSPARK is a voluntary network consisting of partnerships between LTC organizations, McMaster University, and PointClickCare – Ontario’s primary provider of LTC electronic health records. With over 200 participating homes, OnSPARK houses data pertaining to both LTC residents and workforce. It is Canada’s largest data-sharing network, representing 32% of Ontario’s LTC homes and 38% of its residents. The data platform includes:

• The RAI MDS 2.0/ LTCF, providing resident assessment information
• Electronic medical records
• Administrative and public health data, such as emergency transfers and hospitalizations
• Facility level information, providing environmental and operational context
• Staffing data

Unlike survey-based approaches to staffing data, OnSPARK pulls directly from payroll and scheduling records, providing real-time, accurate staffing information. It reflects actual hours worked, rather than estimates. This makes it useful for both day-to-day operations and long-term planning. These data are then linked with resident care outcomes and quality indicators, creating a powerful tool for operators, researchers, and policymakers. Each participating home receives reports through a secure web portal allowing them to compare against averages of anonymized peers and track internal trends over time.

The Data That Powers Better Decisions

OnSPARK tracks key staffing measures such as:

Unit-Level Insights and Planning

OnSPARK enables staffing and quality data to be organized and analyzed at the unit-level within LTC homes. Standard public reporting currently only tell us what’s happening at the facility level, which can mask important differences across units. OnSPARK reports can highlight what’s happening in smaller clinical “microsystems.” For example, one unit may rely heavily on agency staff while another doesn’t—differences that are hidden in broader reports. With this level of detail, managers can design targeted interventions, allocate resources more effectively, and improve quality of care.

A Testbed for Workforce Innovation

The OnSPARK platform allows for real-time evaluation of staffing interventions, such as:

• Moving part-time roles to full-time
• Introducing new care team categories
• Reducing reliance on agency staff

Using methods like interrupted time series or difference-in-differences analysis, OnSPARK provides evidence on what works in practice. Also, the platform can measure impacts in near real time. This creates a powerful learning health system: homes can try new approaches, measure results, and share lessons across the sector.

Informing Policy and Sector-Wide Change

Beyond supporting individual homes, OnSPARK helps researchers and policymakers monitor sector-wide trends. It can evaluate whether new regulations, funding models, or even immigration programs for healthcare workers are meeting their goals. By linking staffing patterns to resident outcomes and system costs, it also supports evidence-based policy decisions—a critical step in making LTC more sustainable.

Looking Ahead

OnSPARK is starting to help Ontario modernize LTC workforce planning, but its framework has potential for national adoption. By aligning with other provinces and national health initiatives, OnSPARK could be a cornerstone in building a stronger, data-driven long-term care system across Canada. 

Improving LTC isn’t just about adding more resources—it’s about using smarter information to make better decisions.

For more information, see onspark.ca 

Arthur Sweetman, McMaster University, Co-director of OnSPARK; Professor, Department of Economics; Ontario Research Chair in Health Human Resources; and Director, Health Policy PhD Program.

Michaella Miller, University of Waterloo, PhD Candidate in School of Public Health Sciences, Aging, Health and Wellbeing specialization.