Submitting a Complaint

Many of the concerns people have with the conduct, competence, health or behaviors of a nurse can quickly and easily be resolved directly with the nurse and the nurse’s employer. If you have tried this already and don’t feel this approach is suitable for you, you should speak to the Director of Professional Conduct. A complaint concerning the practice and behaviour of a nurse or nurse practitioner can be submitted by a patient, a member of the public, an employer, another nurse or another health care provider.

In many cases it is best to raise concerns you have with the actions or conduct of a nurse directly with the nurse or the nurse’s employer. Depending on the nature of the concern, you may find the matter can be resolved in a fair and timely manner without our involvement. If it is not appropriate to report to the employer or the nurse poses a threat to public safety, then the complaint should be submitted to us as soon as possible.

It is best to file the complaint as soon as possible after the incident. There is no time limit in which to file a complaint, however it is more difficult to investigate incidents that took place several years ago.

In some cases, it may be necessary for us to act quickly to restrict the nurse’s practice while the complaint is being investigated or, in serious situations, remove them from practice as soon as possible.

Once the complaint has been submitted the professional conduct process has been initiated and we will carry out an investigation to understand the nature of the issues. The nurse involved will be notified and asked to respond to the allegations.

RNANT/NU has the authority to address complaints about registered nurses and nurse practitioners only. Complaints and concerns about other health care providers will need to be raised with the appropriate organization. Those health care providers who are regulated, like nursing, will have their own regulatory body for you to contact with your concerns.

In order to address a complaint, we require a signed complaint form from you that gives us as much information as possible to properly deal with the issue. You may want to speak to the Director of Professional Conduct for support.
We will need your name, address, phone number and/or email address as contact information.
Include the name of the nurse and your relationship with the nurse (provided care to you or to a relative, employer, etc.)
Provide as much detail as you can about the incident(s) and if possible, include the following:

1. The nurse’s actions that caused concern.
2. The date and time of the incident(s).
3. The location where the incident(s) occurred.
4. The name of anyone who may have witnessed the incident(s).
5. Details about who you have spoken to about your concerns, include names and contact information.
6. Any documented evidence you have with respect to your complaint, such as notes you made.
7. If you are a nursing employer, please include the nurse’s work history with you.
8. If you are an employer or a nursing colleague of the nurse do not send any patient information or documentation. We will gather any documents we think we may need.

The professional conduct process is confidential and private. The nature of the complaint may cause us to gather additional information in order to deal with your concerns. Any documentation gathered in the process is confidential and secure. We communicate the need for confidentiality to all parties involved in the process.

Formal Complaint Form