Overview of the Process
Concerns may be brought to the attention of the College through
a telephone call and will be handled informally where
possible. If you call with a concern which the College
is unable to address, you may be referred to other
organizations. If your concern is serious and/or
complicated, it may require a more extensive review by a medical
consultant from the College, who will try to determine if the
concerns can be addressed informally and satisfactorily without a
formal review. If a formal review is required, the
complaint must be in writing, signed by the complainant
The College has established a
process to ensure
that all complaints are thoroughly researched and reviewed in a
manner that is fair to both the patient and the physician and
appropriately identifies and addresses problems. This involves:
-
ensuring that complaints are communicated in sufficient detail
to the College and in a clear and reliable format;
-
requiring physicians to respond to the substance of complaints
and providing them with an opportunity to communicate their
perspective;
-
communicating with both the complainant and the physician as
required to ensure all relevant facts surrounding the complaint are
known and understood;
-
carefully considering all relevant documents and records and, in
some circumstances information from other sources.
Thorough review and investigation of a complaint
facilitates:
-
the identification of problems with physicians;
-
resolution of those problems;
-
the taking of steps to ensure that:
The process can take several months, depending on the complexity
of the complaint and the extent to which information must be
collected and whether formal discipline is necessary.
The average time is four to six months.
Anyone considering making a complaint should understand what to
expect and the possible outcomes of their complaint before
proceeding. [
see
Expectations and Outcomes]
