File a complaint and improve services

As a user of the health and social services system, you have the right to receive, quality care and safe services. If you are not satisfied with the care or service received or if you consider that your rights as a user have not been respected, you can file a complaint with the service quality and complaints commissioner.

Complaints addressed to the Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner relate to :

CIUSSS services that directly affect users
Services provided by residences that hold a permit from the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (e.g. private residence for seniors)
Services provided by organizations (example : community organizations) or companies with which the CIUSSS has a service agreement
The services of an ambulance company

To File a complaint

Complaints can be made verbally or in writing to the Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner. This process is confidential.

Complaint form

Contact the Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner

Toll-free

1 877-662-3963

Postal Address

Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner
Integrated University Health and Social Services Center of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean
Chicoutimi Hospital
305 Saint-Vallier Street
Chicoutimi (Québec) G7H 5H6

NEED HELP TO FILE A COMPLAINT?

Anyone can get help filing a complaint. This help can be given by :

The Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner
Spouse, friend, family member or any other person
The establishment’s users’ and residents’ committees
The region’s Complaints Assistance and Support Center (CAAP)

The establishment’s users’ and residents’ committees

The users’ and residents’ committee can support you by helping you formulate your verbal or written complaint.

The Complaints Assistance and Support Center

The Complaints Assistance and Support Center (CAAP) is an organization designated by the Minister of Health and Social Services to provide assistance and support to people who file complaints. The CAAP offers listening and information services on the complaint mechanism and assistance in the process. Its services are free and confidential. Its offices are located in Alma and Chicoutimi. To contact the CAAP, call 418 662-6774 or 1 877 767-2227.

Procedure for Examining a Complaint

The Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner receives all requests from users and can help them file a complaint. It has 45 days to study the complaint and communicate their response.

To clearly identify the problem and attempt to resolve it, the commissioner will ask the complainant for their version of the facts. The commissioner will then collect information from the people affected by the problem raised by the complaint. When the analysis of the complaint is complete, the Assistant Commissioner or the Regional Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner communicates the response to the complainant, the reasons for it and, if applicable, the solutions envisaged to resolve the problem or recommendations for corrective action.

Consult the Complaints Process Summary Fact Sheet.

Complaint about a doctor, resident, dentist or pharmacist

When a complaint concerns a physician, resident, dentist or pharmacist who practices in a hospital or in any other establishment, the service quality and complaints commissioner transfers it to a medical examiner. The latter has a maximum period of 45 days, from the moment of receipt of the complaint, to

analyze it and give an answer, indicating, if necessary, the solutions envisaged to resolve the problem brought to their attention or recommendations for corrective action.

The private offices of doctors, dentists and other health professionals are not covered by the complaint examination unless they are bound by a service agreement with the CIUSSS.

Second level steps

Conclusions of the commissioner and assistant commissioners

After 45 days, if you have not received the conclusions of the commissioner or assistant commissioners or if you are dissatisfied with the response, you can, as a second and last resort, contact the Québec Ombudsman. Independent of the establishments, the CIUSSS and the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Québec Ombudsman will re-examine your complaint and communicate its final decision to you.

The Québec Ombudsman is entirely independent of the Québec government. He is appointed by the National Assembly to which he reports. The Ombudsman analyzes situations objectively, without prejudice, both with regard to the administration and the citizen.

Visit the Québec Ombudsman website.

Conclusions of the medical examiner

After 45 days, if the conclusions of the commissioner or assistant commissioners are not received or if the complainant is dissatisfied with the response, they may, as a second and last resort, contact the CIUSSS review committee.

The review committee is established by the board of directors to review the treatment granted by the medical examiner for the examination of the complaint concerning a physician, a dentist, a pharmacist or a resident. This committee is made up of three members appointed by the Board of Directors. The chairman of the committee is appointed from among the members of the board of directors of the authority who are not employed by that authority or who do not practice their profession there. The two other members are appointed from among the physicians, dentists or pharmacists who practice their profession in the establishment on the recommendation of the CPDP (s. 51, AHSSS).

Notice to members of CHSLDs who stayed in a CHSLD after July 9, 2015

On September 23, 2019, the Superior Court of Quebec, district of Montreal, authorized the institution of a class action for damages against the 22 integrated health and social services centers (“CISSS”) and integrated university centers of

Health and Social Services (“CIUSSS”) of Quebec, the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and the McGill University Health Centre1, (“Defendants”) for the benefit of the following class:

All persons who have resided in a public long-term care center (“CHSLD”) after July 9, 2015, excluding clients who have stayed in a “temporary bed”, for a period of 30 days and less per stay in an establishment.

To consult the notice to members :

NOTICE TO MEMBERS – AUTHORIZATION OF CLASS ACTION – Council for the protection of patients and Daniel Pilote
NOTICE TO CLASS MEMBERS – AUTHORIZED CLASS ACTION – Council for the protection of the sick and Daniel Pilote

Responsible

Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner

Julie Bouchard

Assistant Service Quality and Complaints Commissioner

Karina Cloutier
Isabelle Bouchard
Anny Blackburn

Complaints Advisors

Caroline Gobeil
Claude Poitras
Valérie Tremblay
Marilyn Bouchard

Medical Examiners

Dre Amélie de Varennes
Dre Édith Massé
Dr Marcel Fortin
Dr Réjean Delisle