Policies

Core Care Family Health Team Complaint Policy

Intent

The intent of the Complaint Policy is to demonstrate Core Care Family Health Team’s commitment to its employees and visitors by providing the steps to be taken in the event a complaint is filed by an individual against an employee or the practice. The Policy initiates the steps to be taken once a complaint has been launched.

Guidelines

CCHFT recognizes that from time-to-time there will be complaints about the practice or its employees. CCFHT wants to ensure individuals with complaints are able to voice their concerns, but that they should do so through proper channels of communication.

Regulations

Complaint against an Employee or the Practice

• the proper channel for an individual to voice a complaint against an employee is to approach the following individuals in the order indicated:
  • • • • • • immediate supervisor or Practice Manager;
            • Physician Owner (s)
• The immediate supervisor shall be informed of the complaint immediately by leaving a voicemail or by requesting a call back through a message sent by an employee.
• The voicemail or message will be responded to within 3 business days.
• If the complaint cannot be satisfactorily resolved by the individuals concerned, the supervisor will inform the family physician, and the physician shall maintain a record of the complaint and resolution.
• The Physician or the immediate supervisor shall maintain a record of the complaint and resolution and may choose to record the incident in the employee’s personnel file, in which case the employee shall be so informed and shall sign the documents indicating awareness that the item is being placed on file. The employee’s written response to the complaint shall be recorded on the personnel file, upon request.
• The physician shall ensure a protocol for the investigation and resolution of complaints is developed and supervisors and mangers are informed of the process

ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY

Core Care Family Health Team is committed to providing a safe, secure and respectful environment for all patients and staff. Our practice takes it very seriously if a member of staff or one of the doctors or clinical team is treated or perceived to be treated in an abusive, threatening, violent or intimidatory manner.

To effectively provide you with the best medical care services we can, a mutual respect between all the staff and patients has to be in place. All our administrative staff, nurses and doctors aim to be polite, helpful, and sensitive to all patients’ individual needs and circumstances.

Core Care Family Health team would respectfully remind patients that very often staff could be confronted with a multitude of varying and sometimes difficult tasks and situations, all at the same time. The staff understand that ill patients do not always act in a reasonable manner and will take this into consideration when trying to deal with a misunderstanding or complaint.

However, aggressive behaviour, be it violent, intimidating, threatening or abusive, will not be tolerated and may result in you being removed from the practice.

In order for the practice to maintain good relations with their patients, the practice would like to ask you to read and take note of the occasional types of behaviour that would be found unacceptable in accordance with our practice policy:

• Using bad language or swearing at practice staff

• Any physical violence towards any member of the Primary Health Care Team or other patients, such as pushing or shoving or threatening physical action such as jabbing fingers or pumping fists

• Verbal abuse towards the staff in any form including verbally insulting or intimidating the staff with threatening language. This includes all administrative staff.

• Racial abuse and sexual harassment will not be tolerated within this practice

• Persistent or unrealistic demands that cause stress to staff will not be accepted. Requests will be met wherever possible and explanations given when they cannot

• Causing damage/stealing from the Practice’s premises, staff or patients

• Obtaining drugs and/or medical services fraudulently

Any instances such as these will be reported to the Practice Manager and a warning letter may be issued to the patient, at the discretion of the Family Physician.  Any repeated behaviour may result in being removed from our patient list and being asked to register with an alternative local practice, again at the discretion of the Family Physician.

If there are any questions or concerns regarding this Zero-Tolerance Policy please contact the Office Manager.