Lack of respect and communication in Ontario’s health-care system highlighted by patient ombudsman report – CTV
March 7, 2023
Thousands of complaints lodged by Ontario patients last year detail a lack of communication, sensitivity, and respect between patients, their families, and caregivers while navigating the health-care system, a new report by the province’s patient ombudsman suggests.
The report, to be released Tuesday morning, reveals that the patient ombudsman’s office received a total of 3,306 complaints in the 2021/2022 fiscal year.
Just over 60 per cent of those complaints were made in relation to experiences at public hospitals. Another 10 per cent involved experiences within Ontario’s long-term care homes.
The other complaints were related to home and community care, as well as other health facilities.
According to the report, more than one in 10 patients or caregivers “expressed concerns about premature, unsafe or poorly planned discharges or transitions between care settings.” Visitation restrictions and wait times were also frequently the topic of complaints, it said.
