Compliments and Complaints

Your feedback is important to us!

At HGH, we strive to provide you with high-quality health care that is delivered in a compassionate and dignified manner.

Your comments are welcomed and valued as they help us improve the quality of the services that we provide for our patients and visitors. To share your comments, please choose the most convenient option for you.

  • Call 613-632-1111, extension 51702 and leave a message.
  • Send an email to: patientrelations@hgh.ca.
  • Send a letter to:

Quality and Patient Safety Office
Hawkesbury and District General Hospital
1111 Ghislain Street
Hawkesbury, ON K6A 3G5

The Patient Relations office is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except public holidays. Voice messages and emails will be responded to within one business day. All phone messages and emails are confidential.

Comments about your care and treatment

If you have any questions about your care and treatment, we’ll help you understand the problem. Discuss your situation with your nursing staff or attending physician. If they are not available, ask to speak to your charge nurse.

If you still have concerns or unresolved issues, you may file a complaint with the HGH Quality and Patient Safety Office.

How do we deal with comments and concerns?

Upon reception of a comment or concern, the Office will follow up with the complainant in a timely manner.

Evaluation of care and services

We regularly mail a survey to patients who have received care at HGH in order to evaluate patient satisfaction. If you receive a survey, please fill it out and mail it using the envelope provided.

Patient Relations Services

There may be times when you or a family member need help in finding information or voicing a concern. If your care team has been unable to help, the Patient Relations Consultant can assist. The Patient Relations Consultant is available to all patients, families and community members who have questions, compliments or concerns.

What does a Patient Relations Consultant do?

  • Listens to your concerns in confidence.
  • Investigates and communicates the issue to management, physicians and staff so they can be addressed.
  • Explains hospital policies and procedures.
  • Sets up meetings with you, your family members and the appropriate care team members.
  • Answers questions about services available at HGH.
  • Facilitates chart review.

Contact the Patient Relations Consultant

By phone

From within the hospital: Extension 51702
From outside of the hospital: 613-632-1111, extension 51702
Outside of office hours please leave a message and we will return your call on the next business day.

By email  patientrelations@hgh.ca

By mail

Quality and Risk Management Office
Hawkesbury and District General Hospital
1111 Ghislain Street
Hawkesbury,ON K6A 3G5

Ethics Services

Ethics involves determining the best course of action when presented with difficult moral or values-based choices. The HGH Ethicist can help patients or team members by facilitating the ethical reflection and developing options for action. The HGH Ethics Committee works closely with the Champlain Centre for Healthcare Ethics to respond to questions, and provide consults and education for both patients and staff.

Patients, families and members of the healthcare team may request ethics services by telephone or email. Please note that any consultation is confidential.

IDEA Clinical Ethics Framework

HGH staff and physicians apply the 4-step IDEA Clinical Ethics Framework. Investigating the following questions can help in identifying ethical issues.

Step 1: Identify the facts

  • Medical indications
  • Client preferences
  • Quality of Life
  • Contextual Features

Step 2: Determine ethical principles in conflict

  • Autonomy
  • Beneficence
  • Non-maleficence
  • Justice

Step 3: Explore options

  • Consider options
  • Do the options fit with the patient’s wishes/values?
  • Assess risks/benefits
  • Do the options comply with corporate policy, regulations, and the law?

Step 4: Act and evaluate

  • Develop an action plan
  • Evaluate the plan
  • Evaluate the outcome: what could you have done differently?
  • What have you learned?

Contact Ethics Services

Telephone: 613-632-1111, extension 62003
Email: ethics@hgh.ca