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There are a number of ways to make a complaint:

• A complaint can be made verbally by speaking: to the person providing the care or service; the nurse in charge; the social worker; or the department supervisor.
• If you are upset with the care provided by the resident’s physician, please contact the physician directly to discuss your concerns.
• Mount St. Mary Hospital requests the opportunity to address, as quickly as possible, any issue that is troubling and leaves an individual feeling dissatisfied with the care or services delivered by Mount St. Mary Hospital.
• If you remain dissatisfied following the above process, you may submit the complaint in writing as indicated below.
• A complaint may be made verbally or in writing mailed as a letter, email or fax (250 480 3111) addressed to the attention of:
  
  Director of Resident Care and/or the Chief Executive Officer
  Mount St. Mary Hospital, 861 Fairfield Road
  Victoria, B.C.
  V8V 5A9

There is no time limit in which to make a complaint, however, waiting too long before making a complaint may make the investigation and resolution process difficult.

It will depend on the situation. In general, the following should be provided:

• detailed description of the incident;
• date the incident occurred
• your role as a witness to the incident or as the conveyor of information you got from someone else
• your full name, address and telephone number

If you are making a complaint on behalf of yourself, the Director or the person receiving the complaint will work with you to identify the issues you wish follow-up on and negotiate, whenever possible, a mutually acceptable resolution to the concerns.

If you are making a complaint on behalf of a resident, and the resident is capable, the resident will be made aware of the complaint to ensure their perspective is understood and to confirm what follow-up they wish to occur.

If the resident is incapable, you will be asked to provide proof of your authority to act on behalf of the resident and/or to receive feedback about that resident’s care or service at Mount St. Mary Hospital. This is done in order to protect the resident’s privacy in accordance with Mount St. Mary Hospital Confidentiality Policy, the B.C. Health Care Consent Act and the B.C. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The Director or Supervisor responsible for monitoring the quality of care and/or service of their respective program will be asked to undertake an examination of the identified issues within your complaint.

Once that is complete, a response will be provided directly to the individual who has the authority to receive it, typically the individual the information is about, or with that person’s authorization, a third party such as a family member.

Your complaint will be dealt with as quickly as possible. It depends on the nature, severity, and complexity of the complaint. Some complaints can be dealt with in a matter of days. Others may take weeks to investigate or may involve other agencies.

If you have brought your concern to the attention of the Mount St. Mary Hospital Leadership but feel the response has not been adequate, you should contact the Vancouver Island Health Authority’s Patient Care Quality Office at:

Telephone: 250-370- 8323 (Toll-free: 1-877-977-5797)
Online submission form: https://redcap.viha.ca/redcap/surveys/?s=P9LJ784LEA7KNFN7
Email: patientcarequalityoffice@islandhealth.ca

Each complaint provides an opportunity to identify areas for improvement of the care and services provided by Mount St. Mary Hospital. A synopsis of the nature and outcomes of complaints, with names of the resident and complainant removed, is regularly reported to the Leadership Team and the Board of Directors of Mount St. Mary Hospital. It is also used to provide information and recommendations for improvements to care and services. The records are maintained within a secured, client-specific record for three years following file closure and then are confidentially destroyed.