Health-care complaints on rise

Ontario patient ombudsman says there were more than 3,300 grievances filed in 2021-22

Ontario has seen a rising number of complaints about poor quality of care in the health system and an increase in use of force by hospital security, the province’s patient ombudsman found in his annual report released Tuesday.

There were more than 3,300 complaints in the 2021-22 year, with most concentrated in the Toronto area and northern Ontario.

Patient ombudsman Craig Thompson said many complaints focus on access to care and a lack of adequate staffing.

He noted a 43 per cent increase in complaints from patients and caregivers who said they were treated with a lack of sensitivity and caring, especially in emergency departments.

Thompson said the results aren’t surprising given the pressures health-care workers are under.

“Everybody’s under a lot of stress and I think this report highlights it’s on both sides — patients and families are under stress as our healthcare providers,” Thompson said.

“The system is certainly operating under quite a bit of strain, and we’re seeing that because the complaints are related to staffing issues and access to care.”

His report found that staffing shortages, COVID-19 restrictions and service delays, combined with the fatigue and trauma arising from the pandemic contributed to increased tension and occasionally violence in health-care settings.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones said patients should be kinder toward health-care workers.

“I think we all have a role to play to make sure that we are being compassionate and we are being patient,” Jones said outside the legislature Tuesday.

Jones said health-care workers have been working “incredibly hard” over the past several years and that she would use the report to see where they can make investments to better patient outcomes.

The ombudsman received 98 complaints about negative experiences with hospital security.

“Several complainants reported being restrained in an unsafe manner that is inconsistent with the standard training for security guards (for example, with a security guard’s knee on their neck or back) that could cause severe injury or death,” the report said.

Most of those incidents with security guards occurred in emergency departments, on mental health wards and at screening.

The ombudsman said many problems occur in emergency departments.

The ombudsman received 98 complaints about negative experiences with hospital security