COMPLAINTS PROCESS
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES SUPPORT IMPROVED EFFICIENCY IN THE COMPLAINTS PROCESS
In previous articles we have discussed the current challenges with the complaints process , such as the increased number of complaints the College has received since 2019 and the legislative restrictions on the complaints process and our inability to increase the size of the Complaints Committee to increase our efficiency . These changes can only be made if the Ontario government updates the Veterinarians Act .
College staff and the Complaints Committee have been exploring other ways to address the problem until a new Act is proclaimed . At its last meeting , Council approved funding to support a number of changes to the complaints process .
Investigations and Hearings Navigator Role
The College is developing a new staff role to assist both complainants and veterinarians to better understand the complaints process from the outset .
The Investigations and Hearings Navigator role will be available to assist both parties with understanding the process and its timelines , creating reasonable expectations on what can and cannot be achieved through the complaints process and linking parties to resources where needed .
The resources will include Homewood ’ s services for licensed members who need support for health and wellness concerns .
External Grief Resources
The College has noticed that the grief associated with the loss of an animal can lead to a complaint against the veterinarian ( s ) who provided care to that animal . The College wants to support complainants in managing their grief which in turn may deescalate the emotion associated with some complaints . The aim is to assist the complainant in feeling heard and supported .
The College will be linking complainants to resources to assist them in managing their grief .
Case Administrator Role
The College has contracted with a veterinarian who is providing administrative support to the complaints process .
This veterinarian will assist staff with summarizing a complainant ’ s concerns and by summarizing entire case files in order to reduce the amount of time needed for review of each case file by the Complaints Committee and therefore allow the Committee to process more case files .
Efficiencies
The Investigations and Hearings Team has been reviewing its processes to find additional efficiencies in the process . The number of times each party is asked to review materials and respond has been reduced . Both parties will still have an opportunity to review all documents in the case file , but there will be less back and forth each time a witness statement or other individual document is received .
We know that these changes will not solve all of the challenges that exist within the complaints process . However , we are striving to take any steps available to us to improve the complaints process and to reduce the current timelines which are not in the public interest and are not supportive of either complainants or veterinarians .
PRACTICE ADVISORY SERVICE
The College ’ s Practice Advisors respond to more than 1,800 requests annually !
The Practice Advisory Service is available to anyone seeking information related to the regulations , policy and expectations associated with the practice of veterinary medicine in Ontario . The service offered by the College is free and confidential .
Contact a practice advisor : practiceadvice @ cvo . org or 1-800-424-2856 extension 2401
2 College Connection Summer 2022 cvo . org