33% increase in complaints by Ontario patients

Ontario's patient ombudsman reported a 33% increase in complaints and pointed to issues with access to primary care.

Craig Thompson, the patient ombudsman for the province of Ontario, released his annual report on Thursday. His office received 4,388 complaints during the 2022-2023 year, with 3,235 of them coming through the call center and the rest in written form.

Hospitals, including the four major pediatric hospitals, were impacted by the presence of patients last fall and winter due to the prevalence of influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Thompson stated in the report, "What is significant and concerning is the substantial increase in complaints, which are largely related to primary care, and the fact that people are having difficulty accessing primary care."

According to inspectors, more than 2.2 million Ontarians are without a primary care physician, and the shortage of primary care support staff has a negative impact on other parts of the healthcare system, especially emergency departments.

The patient ombudsman's duty is to resolve complaints from patients and residents in long-term care facilities and home and community care.

The report highlighted that the majority of complaints were related to hospitals, which is not surprising. It stated that, as in previous years, the three main complaints about hospitals were related to the quality of care, diagnosis/treatment, and discharge.

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