Update to phone lines at our Birchmount, General, and Centenary hospitals: If calling through Birchmount main line (416-495-2400), add “7” when dialing an extension. If calling through General main line (416-438-2911), add “8” when dialing an extension. If calling through Centenary main line (416-284-8131), add “6” when dialing an extension.

Patient Relations

Open and honest communication is important to building trusting relationships between patients and health care providers. Our Patient Relations office can help to support this kind of communication.

  • When you want to give us your ideas or suggestions
  • When you would like to share a compliment
  • If you have general questions about patient matters, or need help identifying the best person to contact
  • If you would like to discuss or need support addressing a concern about your care or a particular experience that was not resolved by your health care team or the unit manager to your satisfaction

Scarborough Health Network (SHN) is committed to working with our patients to resolve complaints in a fair and timely manner.

If your concern has to do with your patient care experience, the first step is to bring it up with your health care team and attending physician.

If they do not address the concern to your satisfaction, your next step is to speak with the program manager of the unit/department. You can ask for their managers phone number or email, or ask to meet with them in person.

If your concern arises after business hours, please ask to speak with the unit coordinator or charge nurse on shift. It is our goal to resolve your concerns to your satisfaction at the point of service (where the concern originated). Depending on the nature of your concern, an on-call manager or director may be involved.

If you speak with the program manager and still don’t feel satisfied, please feel free to contact the Patient Relations office for help.

When our Patient Relations office receives a complaint, there are a number of steps that they will take to follow up on the issue and help to ensure it is addressed.

  1. We will respond to email and telephone calls within one to two business days.
  2. Letters will be acknowledged within five business days.
  3. If the complaint comes from someone other than the patient, we must receive consent from the patient to discuss their case. In situations involving individuals who are not able to consent, consent to release information must be obtained from the substitute decision-maker or appropriate person.
  4. We investigate the case based on the information provided. Investigation may include some or all of the following:
    • Contacting the care providers who were involved
    • Contacting managers, department chiefs or other supervisors
    • Reviewing the patient’s medical chart
    • Contacting other relevant departments, i.e. finance, dietary, facilities, diagnostic imaging, etc
  5. Patient Relations will communicate the results of the investigation as soon as possible. The goal is to resolve complaints within 15 working days. Some complex matters may take longer than 15 days to resolve, however complainants will be provided with regular updates regarding the investigation and the status of the complaint.

Patient Relations Contact Form

We want to hear from you! If you have concerns, compliments or personal feedback about your care, please complete the form below. If you prefer to speak directly to a member of our Patient Relations team, learn more about calling or visiting us.

Please note: This form is for responses from patients and their families only. Please do not send requests for online medical advice or consultations. We cannot respond to any specific questions about your medical condition, treatment or medications.

Call or visit us

To speak directly to a member of our Patient Relations team about your feedback, please call or visit us from Monday to Friday, excluding holidays.

We are updating our Birchmount Hospital phone lines. When you call through the main line (416-495-2400), you will need to add “7” when dialing an extension as indicated below.

Anthony
1st Floor, Administration
416-495-2400 ext. 75424

Susan
3rd Floor, down the hall from Administration
1-844-3TELL-US (1-844-383-5587) or 416-284-8131 ext. 64742

Janice
Ground Floor (G-208), Central Wing
416-438-2911 ext. 86140