A client unable to move and speak, and dependent on assisted breathing, had his breathing tube accidentally disconnected from the ventilator, and no alarm sounded at the nursing station. A mother whose baby died during childbirth applied for copies of the fetal heart tracers, but did not receive them because they were not found. A patient’s family member was refused a visit on the grounds that he was not a caregiver. These are just a few of the 895 complaints filed by users of the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) in the past year.
MUHC Complaints Commissioner Lynne Casgrain handled 1,124 cases, including 895 complaints, from 1er April 2020 to March 31, 2021. In other cases, she helped patients who did not file a complaint to initiate a process of conciliation, assistance, consultation or intervention.
The number of complaints and files submitted this year decreased by almost 15% compared to the previous two years, from more than 2,300 to around 2,000 cases.
“This significant drop in the number of visits to the health sector explains the reduction of 300 files at our offices this year,” said Mr.me Casgrain in the most recent report from the Office of the Complaints Commissioner.
Telephone access
Although the pandemic has reduced the number of complaints filed by users, the MUHC has recorded a resurgence of complaints about telephone access.
“Unfortunately, here we are again faced with a resumption of telephone access complaints. It is about a step back which must be stopped ”, indicated Mme Casgrain.
In recent years, the number of complaints regarding telephone access has continued to decline. The pandemic has changed the picture of the situation.
“This is not only to make an appointment, but to obtain follow-ups, to communicate with a hospitalized family member, to obtain information on the complex preparations for certain examinations, to postpone an appointment to because of a serious impediment, ”listed the complaints commissioner in her report.
This category reflects, among other things, the difficulties for families to obtain information about their relatives and the right to be accompanied. Remember that, during the pandemic, hospitals and CHSLDs had to prohibit non-essential visits.
Improvement steps
The majority (89%) of the complaints studied were deemed admissible, while 50 complaints were rejected or refused and 93 were abandoned by the user.
Generally, when complaints are valid and improvements are needed, the complaints office and the department concerned agree to put in place measures and an action plan to improve care and services and correct the problem. problem.
In all, improvement initiatives aimed in particular at the supervision of employees and raising awareness of respect for rights were carried out in 261 complaints and assistance cases.
In order to limit the number of telephone access complaints, the office of the Complaints Commissioner undertakes to monitor the MUHC’s progress and to publish the results of the improvement initiatives on the website.
Finally, the office of the Complaints Commissioner opened 69 intervention files, or in-depth investigations. Many of these interventions were related to emergency health measures, reorganization and access to services, and respect for user rights.