The office of a service quality and complaints commissioner is like a “complaints desk” at a public institution within the health and social services network.

These “complaint desks” are staffed by teams that examine the complaints they receive to ensure users’ rights are respected. The teams generally include a commissioner and assistant commissioners. There are also medical examiners who deal with complaints against physicians.

They are responsible for:

• Receiving the complaint
• Conducting an investigation to determine whether the complaint is founded
• Issuing conclusions based on the results of the investigation
• Making recommendations if they feel that measures can be put in place to improve the situation

This applies to all complaints about services at an institution, including affliated facilities.

Commissioners have a duty of impartiality. They report directly to the board of directors of the institution. The complaints commissioner is one of the most accessible and fastest means of recourse in the health and social services system!