REPORT: POOR COMMUNICATION AMONG TOP ONTARIO HEALTHCARE COMPLAINTS
Feb 25, 2020
By Bob Komsic
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More than 2,400 complaints were received by the Ontario patient ombudsman’s office last year.
A new report says communication breakdowns are a theme with many patients raising concerns about their dealings with hospitals, long-term care homes and home care.
Everything from inadequate information about discharge from hospital to conflicting information about long-term care placement.
The report puts some of the blame for home care complaints on ”a system-level shortage of personal support workers,” and says government funding is vital to a solution.
The former Wynne government appointed Christine Elliott the first patient ombudsman in 2015.
But the position’s been vacant since she quit two years ago to run for the Conservatives and is currently health minister.
In the meantime, ombudsman’s staff have been taking up patients’ complaints with the appropriate agencies.