$3M to give users a greater voice

Best practices forum on users, long-term care facilities and home support

QUÉBEC CITY, May 14, 2018 – As part of the best practices forum on users, long-term care facilities and home support taking place today and tomorrow, Gaétan Barrette, Minister of Health and Social Services, and Francine Charbonneau, Minister responsible for Seniors and Anti-Bullying, announced additional investments of $3 million that will make it possible to:

• Improve the system for processing complaints throughout the health and social services network;
• Improve the relationship between users, family, and the health and social services network’s partners;
• Give more of a voice to users and their committees.

Quotes:    

Making a complaint or expressing dissatisfaction is part of a constructive process that ensures users’ rights are respected and helps improve the quality of the services offered through the network. The measures that have been announced will improve the way we address dissatisfaction and support users who make complaints. Users committees are also an important tool for users who want to be heard, without necessarily filing a formal complaint. I am convinced that in the short term, we will be able to give more of a voice to users and their committees.

– Gaétan Barrette, Minister of Health and Social Services

The place and role of users has changed enormously in the last decade; they are now thought of as active partners, and we are always finding added value in their engagement and contribution to the development of care and services. Today we are affirming our desire to respect their rights more than ever, as illustrated by the different measures that we are announcing.

– Francine Charbonneau, Minister responsible for Seniors and Anti-Bullying

Key points:

Improving the system for processing complaints and handling dissatisfaction

• A national working group of partners, coordinated by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux, will be established and will bring together all the stakeholders with the goal of improving practices, clarifying each partner’s role, and enhancing accountability.
• A sum of $100,000 will be invested to carry out two pilot projects in as many regions over the next year. These projects aim to reinforce the role of users committees in reporting dissatisfaction.
• Following these steps, the tools to promote the system for processing complaints will be reviewed in order to better direct the public and avoid complaints commissioners being the only option for users who want to express dissatisfaction or correct a situation, without necessarily filing a formal complaint.

Strengthening the role of users committees

An investment of $1.5 million is granted to users committees in integrated centres to hire resource people to help them carry out their functions within the merged establishments.  An investment of $50,000 is granted to the Regroupement provincial des comités des usagers (RPCU) for the establishment of a complete, updated directory of users committees.

Recurrent funding of $325,000 is granted for basic training for workers in the complaints processing system, based on the recommendations of the national working group:

• $150,000 for the RPCU;
• $150,000 for the Fédération des centres d’assistance et d’accompagnement aux plaintes;
• $25,000 for the Regroupement des commissaires locaux aux plaintes et à la qualité des services.

Recognition of users’ knowledge and a partnership approach

Funding of $1 million will be granted to support the implementation of promising projects concerning the partnership approach, which will comply with the reference framework on the partnership approach between users, their families and health and social services workers, which was made public today.

Related link:

• For more information, visit the press room for the best practices forum on users, long-term care facilities and home support at www.msss.gouv.qc.ca/presse.