2. Make a complaint to the Ministry of Long-Term Care
You can complain directly to the Ministry of Long-Term Care if you do not want to complain to your long-term care home. You can do this by telephone or in writing.
Some homes might tell you that you must follow their complaint process and that you cannot complain to the Ministry directly. This is not true.
You can make your complaint to the Ministry at any time, even if you have started to follow the home’s complaint process.
You do not have to complete the home’s complaint process before contacting the Ministry.
You might want to make your own complaint to the Ministry. This could be because:
- the home may not report it to the Ministry, or
- the home may have a different opinion than you do about what happened.
Complain to the home first
For minor problems, you may want to try to find a solution by going through the home’s complaint process before you contact the Ministry.
For example, you might want to start with the home’s complaint process for things like:
- wanting more protein in your meals
- getting meat when you’re a vegetarian
- having more activities for residents
The home may fix the problem after they get your complaint.
How to deal with urgent problems
The best way to report an urgent problem is to call the Long-term Care Family Support and ACTION Line at 1-866-434-0144.
A problem is urgent if a resident is being harmed or neglected, or is in danger.
Give the staff at the Action Line as much information as you can about the issue. Make sure to include:
- the name and address of the home and who was involved
- a description of what happened and if it’s an ongoing problem
- when and where it happened
- what you would like done to resolve the complaint
The staff at the Action Line cannot answer detailed questions or give advice. When you call, they give you a number so you can keep track of your complaint.
They pass your information to a “triage inspector” who calls you. This might take several days or longer.
If the triage inspector thinks that the home might be breaking the rules, they send the information to a local inspector. The local inspector goes to the home to investigate.
If you leave your name and phone number, the local inspector will contact you later to let you know how the issue was handled.
If you do not do this, they still look into the issue. But they will not be able to contact you to tell you what happened.
How to deal with less urgent problems
If the problem is not as urgent, you can write to the Ministry. You might do this for less serious complaints, such as complaints about meals, activities, or services at the home.
Keep a copy of what you send.
Send your complaint by mail to the Director, Long-Term Care Inspections Branch at:
Long-Term Care Operations Division
Ministry of Long-Term Care
438 University Avenue, 8th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1N3
Or send it by email to mltc.correspondence@ontario.ca.
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