The Physician's Response to a Complaint
Following receipt of a written complaint about a physician, a
medical consultant will send a copy of the complaint to the
physician and require a response from the physician within thirty
days. The response should:
-
address the substance of the complaint;
-
include pertinent particulars;
-
provide the record of the care provided to the complainant.
Timeliness of the response is important. Extensions
may be granted in appropriate circumstances. Failure to
respond within the time limit without a reasonable excuse is not
helpful to the physician’s position and may be
professional misconduct.
The physician’s response is an opportunity for the
physician to:
-
explain the care or conduct of concern;
-
provide the physician’s version of the events
leading to the complaint;
-
apologize to the complainant if the circumstances warrant an
apology;
-
provide particulars of any steps the physician has taken or
proposes to take to address the complaint or any underlying
problems that the physician recognizes have been raised by the
complaint, where appropriate.
A copy of the response will be provided to the complainant and
may resolve the complaint. However, if the Complaints
Committee considers the concerns raised in the complaint to be
sufficiently serious to warrant further action, the College may
continue to investigate the matter, even if the complaint is
withdrawn.
The physician may choose to consult with legal counsel or
contact the Canadian Medical Protective Association for assistance
with the response.
