Patient Ombudsman
The Patient Ombudsman (French: Ombudsman des patients) is an ombudsman office which acts as a neutral body of last resort of complaints about the health system in Ontario, Canada. The position was created in 2015 through amendments to the Excellent Care for All Act.[3] Unlike the Ontario Ombudsman, the Patient Ombudsman is not an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario; the Patient Ombudsman's office is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health's advisory agency Health Quality Ontario.[4]
Ombudsman des patients | |
Office overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 15 December 2015[1] |
Type | Ombudsman |
Jurisdiction | Public hospitals, long-term care homes, and home and community care coordinated by the Local Health Integration Networks |
Headquarters | 393 University Ave., Suite 1801, Toronto, Ontario |
Motto | "Every experience matters"[2] |
Office executives |
|
Parent Office | Ministry of Health |
Key document | |
Website | www |
In the office's first year, it received 2,000 complaints. The bulk of complaints were about Ontario's hospitals.[5][6][7] The office received 2,300 complaints in its second year of operations.
The Patient Ombudsman has jurisdiction over public hospitals, long-term care homes, as well as home and community care coordinated by the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs)
List of Patient Ombudspersons
- Christine Elliott (1 July 2016 – 1 February 2018)[1][7][8]
- Craig Thompson (1 February 2018 – 12 July 2020), Executive Director managing day-to-day operations[9]
- Cathy Fooks (13 July 2020 -)[10][11]
References
- "Ontario Selects Christine Elliott as First-Ever Patient Ombudsman". Province of Ontario. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- Elliott, Christine. "Patient Ombudsman's Message - Patient Ombudsman". Toronto, ON: Office of the Patient Ombudsman. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- Taylor, Paul (21 July 2016). "How can Ontario's new ombudsman address patient concerns?". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- Fitzpatrick, Meagan (4 December 2018). "Is Ontario's patient ombudsman next on the Ford government chopping block?". CBC News. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
The patient ombudsman is not an independent officer of the legislature, however. It falls under Health Quality Ontario — a government agency that monitors quality in health care and provides advice to government and health care providers.
- Jeffords, Shawn (9 November 2017). "Ontario's Patient Ombudsman eyes improvements to health care". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- Reevely, David (9 November 2017). "Reevely: Transitions between health providers are painful points for Ontario patients, ombudsman reports". Ottawa, ON: Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- Turl, Jeff (28 March 2017). "Patient Ombudsman visits North Bay hospital". North Bay, ON: BayToday. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- Benzie, Robert; Ferguson, Rob (1 February 2018). "Former MPP Christine Elliott joins Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership race, Caroline Mulroney to follow". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
- Baxter, Mary (28 April 2020). "What it's like at the patient ombudsman's office during COVID-19". TVO.org. Toronto, ON: TV Ontario. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- "Ontario government names Cathy Fooks as new patient ombudsman - CityNews Toronto". toronto.citynews.ca. Citytv. 11 June 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- Jensen, David (11 June 2020). "Ontario Appoints New Patient Ombudsman - southwesthealthline.ca". www.southwesthealthline.ca. Southwest Healthline. Retrieved 11 June 2020.