The normal route for advancing care concerns is to discuss it first with the care staff person directly, and then with supervisors and/or administration if necessary.  However, on some occasions, family council members are unsuccessful in resolving complaints.  If that is the case, you may want to submit a formal complaint.

SUBMITTING COMPLAINTS

If you want to complain about a service covered under the Community Care and Assisted living Act (both subsidized AND private pay), you can complain to a community care Licensing Office  If your facility is governed by the Hospital Act, your complaint must be delivered to the Patient Care Quality Office.

If you want to complain about the QUALITY of service in any publicly subsidized facility within Island Health, contact the Patient Care Quality Office.   And if you are not satisfied with their response, you can submit a complaint to the Patient Care Quality Review Board.   Complaints about “Quality” are defined as a complaint about the delivery of or the failure to deliver health care or a related service, or about the quality of that service.  Each of these links will instruct you on how to submit complaints.

*** If you submit the complaint to the wrong office, typically your complaint WILL be forwarded to the correct one.  (It happens often)***

If your complaints are not being managed to your satisfaction, you can solicit the help of the Seniors Advocate.  For information on how to do that please see the SA’s website.

If you are still not satisfied with the results of all of your complaints, you can submit your concerns to the Ombudsperson.

SOME TIPS ON HOW TO SUBMIT A COMPLAINT

It is important to do some preparation before you submit a complaint.  Have a record of the details of the problem (who, what, where, when, how).

Have this information ready:

1.  Who you are in relation to the situation.

2.  Date and description of the incident(s).  Were you a witness to the incident or did the information come from someone else?

3.  Description of the resulting condition (or injury), or a description of the situation if service was NOT provided adequately.  Here, you would also want to cite regulations, policies, or sections of the Bill of Rights that are not being followed properly.

4.  Keep a written record of any conversation, emails, or documents that include the staff or management about the incident.

5.  Keep a record of any previous related incidents.

****Try to be patient with the process.  It can be very time-consuming*****