"The Patient Ombudsman's annual report released Thursday says there were 4,886 new complaints filed between April 2024 and March 2025, a 10 per cent increase over the year before. It also notes it resolved 4,863 complaints, some of which carry year-over-year. Among the issues highlighted in the report are that many patients don't feel heard; the need to improve discharge protocols in emergency rooms; use of force for challenging behaviours; and a lack of trauma-informed obstetrical/gynecological care, which The Canadian Press reported on in June."
""If you're not communicating well in health care, then you are really setting yourself up for some problems," says patient ombudsman Craig Thompson. He says complaints have been continuously rising since his office opened in 2016, which he attributes in part to an increase in public awareness. But Thompson also says it's troubling to see that recommendations made in past reports have not been implemented in some cases."
The Patient Ombudsman office recorded 4,886 new complaints between April 2024 and March 2025, a 10 per cent increase from the previous year. The office resolved 4,863 complaints. Close to 60 per cent of grievances concerned hospitals; other complaints involved long-term care homes, home care, and community surgical and diagnostic centres. Common issues include patients feeling unheard, inadequate emergency department discharge protocols, use of force for challenging behaviours, and a lack of trauma-informed obstetrical/gynecological care. Six investigations were completed, producing 40 recommendations to address systemic problems. Complaints have risen steadily since 2016, partly due to greater public awareness. Some past recommendations remain unimplemented.
#patient-complaints #hospital-discharge-failures #communication-in-healthcare #trauma-informed-obstetrical-care #health-system-investigations
Read at www.cbc.ca
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