After years of grievance, Nunavut launches new health care complaint office

Amittuq MLA Louis Tapardjuk successfully put forward a motion at the Legislative Assembly’s committee of the whole on March 1, 2012 calling for a better complaints procedure for patients in the health care system. On July 11, the GN announced the creation of the Office of Patient Relations. (FILE PHOTO)

Following years of lobbying by MLAs and others, the Government of Nunavut has launched a new office aimed at healing one of the health department’s long-festering sores: patient complaints.

Called the Office of Patient Relations, the new service is aimed at resolving complaints in confidence and promises “acknowledgment” within 48 hours. (See document embedded below.)

“We wanted to make it easier for patients and their families to have a confidential point of access to address their concerns, complemented by a standard set of procedures to guide our health care providers in managing patient concerns,” Keith Peterson, the health minister, said in a news release.

The creation of the office follows a motion made by Amittuq MLA Louis Tapardjuk that narrowly passed the Legislative Assembly’s committee of whole March 1, 2012.

All cabinet members voted against the motion, which passed only because Nanulik MLA Johnny Ningeongan, chair of the committee of the whole, cast a tie-breaking vote.

At the time, Tapardjuk said that following dissolution of Nunavut’s health boards in 2000, Nunavut patients had no place to take their complaints about shoddy health care and for years were complaining to MLAs instead.

He also said patients, especially elders, struggle with culture and language barriers when dealing with health department staff.

In 2011, Tapardjuk complained in the legislature about the case of a nine-month-old baby who died in Igloolik after the health department refused to order a medevac for her.

The baby’s grieving mother told Nunatsiaq News that a doctor had urged her to get the baby to hospital in Ottawa if an earlier infection returned, but the mother said health staff ignored the child’s medical history.

Following passage of the March 1, 2012 motion, Peterson promised the GN would produce a new patient complaint process, “in the new year,” following a review by health department officials.

Poor patient complaint procedures have dogged the GN for years. In 2005, it was one of many factors that caused the Baffin Regional Hospital to lose its accreditation.

At the time, the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation cited shortcomings such as “poor communication with clients” and “no complaint mechanism for clients.” The institution’s accreditation has since been restored.

The GN materials announcing the new Office of Patient Relations generally avoid use of the English word “complaint.”

Instead, it uses civil service euphemisms like “concerns,” and “issues.”

“The new Office of Patient Relations is fully operational and is set up to proactively address patient issues, concerns and questions along their health care journey,” a GN news release said.

A GN brochure describes a three-step process:

• First step — bring the complaint to nurses, physicians or other staff looking after you;

• Second step — if you’re unable to fix the problem at the point where you received care, take it to the manager of the unit or “service area” where you live;

• Third step — if you’re still unsatisfied after speaking to the health centre manager, you can take your complaint to the Office of Patient Relations.

After you take your complaint to the Office of Patient Relations, the GN promises the following “general guidelines” for responses.

• Within 48 hours — the manager of patient relations will acknowledge receipt of the complaint and send it to the relevant executive director.

• Within five days — the regional executive director or “regional point person” will respond to the complaint, depending on the level of complexity, in writing or orally.

• After five days — the complaint goes to an assistant deputy minister or “concern resolution committee” with a formal written response “ideally” within two weeks.

Patients may make complaints about any health service provided inside or outside Nunavut by any staff or contractor.

The GN is distributing brochures on the Office of Patient Relations in English, Inuktitut, French and Inuinnaqtun.

You can find more information, including downloadable complaint forms at this web page: http://www.patientrelations.gov.nu.ca/en/about.aspx

Patient Relations FAQ Sheet