But his complaint actually resulted in changes to the system.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no resolution that is going to bring my wife back,\u201d he told White Coat Black Art host Dr. Brian Goldman.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the whole purpose of making a complaint was for other people. Changing the system so that other people like my wife would get better treatment, better outcomes than what Leslie got.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though Kinch was able to make an impact, that’s not always the case when lodging a formal complaint.<\/p>\n
And the system itself can be difficult to navigate.<\/p>\n
But Dr. Rob Robson, who has spent much of his career dealing with patient complaints and mediation, says there are ways to improve your chances of being heard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Complain early, take notes<\/p>\n
Robson, a health-care mediator and emergency department physician based in Dundas, Ont., says patient complaints are typically sparked by three main reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The most common one stems from a patient or loved one wanting to understand what happened or what went wrong, he says. The other reasons are a desire to create change for future patients, and looking for someone to take accountability and apologize.<\/p>\n
![\"Grey-haired](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763818870_932_default.jpg\")
Charles Kinch looks at a framed photo of his wife Leslie Kinch. She was 70 when she died of cancer in 2020. (Brian Goldman\/CBC)<\/p>\n
So where to start?<\/p>\n
Robson said it’s best to make a complaint as soon as possible.\u00a0\u201cIf you can start that process within a few days, then the memories are clear,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But that’s not always possible, especially for people who are dealing with the death of a loved one. In those cases, Robson said, health-care providers shouldn’t discredit the person’s concerns because they waited to make the complaint.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When dealing with the medical system, it can be helpful to take detailed notes about the treatment and process, he said. That way, if you get to a point where you feel a complaint is necessary, you aren\u2019t relying solely on memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You should also hold on to all related documentation. Physical records belong to the health-care facility, but Robson said patients have the right to access them or request a photocopy at some cost.<\/p>\n
Finding the right person<\/p>\n
Robson says it\u2019s important to focus on the experience and facts.<\/p>\n
Another important step, Robson says, is to make sure you get the name of a real person who you can connect with about your complaint. <\/p>\n
And you need to make sure it\u2019s the right person, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you’re not raising your concerns with the right person, you might have somebody who says, \u2018Oh no, I don’t deal with that. I can’t help you with that problem,\u2019\u201d said Robson.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a best case, that person will direct you to the correct one. But Robson said they’ll often just say they can\u2019t help, and that\u2019s that. If that happens, Robson suggests contacting the CEO of the hospital or health authority, or reaching out to the appropriate regulatory college.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WATCH | This patient filed her complaint years before reports of infection risk:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763088498_967_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
This patient filed a complaint against Toronto gynecologist years before reports of infection risk<\/p>\n
Reaction is pouring in after CBC News was first to report on hundreds of patients being exposed to an infection risk at a Toronto gynecologist office. Dozens more patients have been reaching out sharing their negative encounters with the doctor. CBC\u2019s Talia Ricci has more from a patient who filed an official complaint years before reports of an infection risk.<\/p>\n
He said the health system needs to improve how it communicates where, and to whom, complaints should be sent. That could be as simple as a sign posted in rooms where people are receiving care.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t do us credit that we make it so hard to raise concerns,\u201d said Robson.<\/p>\n
And don\u2019t stop taking notes. Robson said it\u2019s even appropriate to record conversations with complaint officers, though he suggests being courteous and upfront about it.<\/p>\n
Be persistent<\/p>\n
Keith Dury of Moncton, N.B., is still waiting to hear back about a complaint he filed about four months ago about a visit to the Moncton Hospital’s emergency room on May 19, 2025. While he received the treatment he needed, he says his treatment by one nurse was unacceptable.<\/p>\n
While getting his blood taken, Dury passed out. After waking up, he says the nurse \u201cmade a passive-aggressive comment,\u201d suggesting Dury should have given hospital staff a heads-up that he might faint.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following that, Dury overheard the same nurse complaining, which he assumed was about him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was extremely unprofessional and hurtful,\u201d Dury said in an email to White Coat Black Art.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following his experience, Dury complained to the hospital\u2019s patient relations office. He received a notice that the complaint had been received, plus a name and phone number of a staff member in patient relations. <\/p>\n
And then nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don’t understand what actually happened when things go wrong \u2026 there is no way that we can change the system.- Dr. Rob Robson<\/p>\n
This is where Robson says it\u2019s important to be consistent while remaining courteous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you just persist,\u201d said Robson, and if there continues to be no response, take the complaint to a regulatory body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Horizon Health Network, one of New Brunswick’s health authorities which runs the Moncton Hospital and its patient relations department, said it cannot speak about details involving specific patients for privacy reasons.<\/p>\n
However, it said the health network does take patient concerns seriously and has a process for addressing those concerns.\u00a0This process involves reviewing and investigating what happened with the patient, the care team, and Horizon\u2019s patient relations team.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce our review is complete, we always share the findings and outcomes directly with the patient,\u201d Jeff Carter, Horizon’s vice-president responsible for patient experience and professional services, said in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n
![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763818872_431_default.jpg\")
Dr. Rob Robson says it’s important for health-care organizations to listen to complaints so they can learn from mistakes. (Chris Young\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n
\u201cOur commitment is to listen with compassion, respond with transparency and ensure every concern receives the attention it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dury never went higher than Moncton Hospital’s patient relations department. He says he hasn\u2019t received any notice from Horizon Health Network on what steps they\u2019ve taken since he lodged his complaint four months ago \u2014 and he has yet to see them take any accountability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Changing the system<\/p>\n
Kinch ended up elevating his complaint to B.C.\u2019s independent patient care quality review board. The initial reply he received outlined some recommendations, but the second response contained substantial commitments to change, including improving communication with people diagnosed with cancer and improvements to navigating cancer care.<\/p>\n
Robson says that\u2019s why it\u2019s important for people to raise their concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don’t understand what actually happened when things go wrong \u2026 there is no way that we can change the system or change circumstances for other people,\u201d said Robson.<\/p>\n
LISTEN | A patient complaint that actually led to change:<\/p>\n
White Coat Black Art26:27A patient complaint that actually led to change<\/p>\n
But, Robson says, it shouldn\u2019t be entirely on the patient or loved one to craft the perfect complaint and send it to the right person. He says health-care organizations need to take accountability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to accept that maybe there’s something we can learn from that. Maybe they have observations that are appropriate,\u201d said Robson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LISTEN | How to make a health-care complaint and get results: White Coat Black Art26:30How to make a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299713,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":{"0":"post-299712","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}