We want to know about your experience at NMC. It’s important to us that we learn and try and make your subsequent visits as constructive as possible. We will, from time to time, conduct exit surveys of your experience. These will be anonymous and designed to give us valuable feedback.
If you have specific suggestions then please forward them to us at the clinic.
- Complaints
There may be times when you are dissatisfied with your care from us. Can we suggest the following process? You are of course free to complain directly to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba and their address can be found in the links section. The College is there to protect the public and has a role in investigating complaints against physicians. However we also would like to have the opportunity to address complaints before they reach the College.We must also clarify that we are a private clinic that is pleased to work with the Regional Health Authority. South Eastman Health Authority has no legal say in the running of our clinic and so they have no role in handling complaints for our clinic.The first action is to tell us, either directly or by addressing a letter to us. We undertake to acknowledge every letter and will treat every complaint seriously. Often complaints can be resolved by meeting face to face and each party explaining their story. You may wish to take a friend along with you. The physician may also wish an independent witness at such a conversation. Experience shows that these miss-understanding are more commonly just that, miss-understanding and when each has had an occasion to hear the other party they are often easily resolved.
If the complaint is of a serious nature, the NMC may recommend that the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba do indeed become involved. If there is a legal inquiry the physician is usually advised to consult their own medical legal body. For us this is the Canadian Medical Protection Society.
If there comes a time when there is a breach of trust between the patient and care provider, the care provider may suggest that the patient look for an alternative care provider. Depending on the nature of the breach, this may be another care provider at NMC or it may be elsewhere. The care provider is obliged to continue providing care until the patient finds another provider. It is our practice, in such a situation, to write and notify the patient in question of their options.
- Abuse
NMC operates a zero tolerance for abuse towards any of its staff or care providers. If a patient or family member is found to be abusing staff verbally, they shall be warned by the staff that their language is offensive and abusive. If they continue, the staff shall terminate the conversation and report the event to the Clinic Medical Director. Either the Medical Director or the patient’s own physician shall address the issue at the earliest occasion. If the behavior persists they will be formally notified that the will no longer be able to receive their routine medical care at the NMC. Any threat of physical violence or actual violence will be reported to the RCMP and again the patient will receive a letter from the clinic informing them that they will no longer be welcomed to receive their routine care at the clinic.
- Privacy
We try hard to respect the individually needs for privacy. It is the policy of the clinic that when a male physician is performing an intimate exam on a female patient, that a chaperone is always present. Dr. Chris will never perform such an exam without a third party in the room. If a patient refuses a third party he will advise they seek another physician for that exam.