Complaints Process

Anyone can submit a complaint including members of the public, and other health care professionals. Registrants have additional reporting requirements, which can be found here.

Complaints regarding the conduct or behaviour (communication issues, boundary violations, abuse, lack of respect, and misrepresentation etc.) of a HSCPOA registered PSW, or concerns about the care that you or someone you know received from a HSCPOA registered PSW may be submitted.

If you believe that you were sexually abused by a registrant, you may be eligible to receive funding for therapy and counselling. Please see HSCPOA’s Addressing Sexual Abuse – A Guide to Understanding or contact us for assistance at complaints@hscpoa.com.

Please note that HSCPOA can only investigate and take action on complaints that involve a PSW who is registered with us. Please access our online database of registrants, called our Public Register to determine if the PSW you have concerns about is registered with us. Alternatively, please contact us at complaints@hscpoa.com and we can assist you.  

No, HSCPOA requires your name to properly follow up with the concerns you’ve identified, and the registrant who is the subject of your complaint must be in a position to be able to provide a response to the concerns you’ve raised. Your personal contact information will not be provided to the registrant.

Complaints may be submitted to HSCPOA directly through our online complaint form by completing our complaint form electronically, and submitting it to us via email to complaints@hscpoa.com, or by audio or video recording.

Your complaint should include the following:

• Your name, address, email address and telephone number;
• The registrant’s name, registration number (if you know it), and where they work;
• If you are not the recipient of health and supportive care services from the registrant, the name of the individual who is the recipient;
• Details about the incident you are concerned about, including when and where the conduct occurred, and who was involved; and
• Any other relevant information, such as witnesses, emails, text messages, documents, social media posts, or photographs etc.

HSCPOA will confirm receipt of your complaint within 14 days. The registrant who is the subject of your complaint will be given a copy of it and be asked to provide a response within 30 days. We may follow up with you or the registrant for additional documentation or clarification and/or speak to other individuals who have information regarding your concerns. Once all relevant information is gathered, a written decision will be sent to you and the registrant.

HSCPOA’s CEO reviews all complaints that are received and after carefully considering information from all relevant parties, determines the outcome using a risk-based approach. The CEO may choose any of the following actions:

1. take no action;
2. attempt to mediate or resolve the concerns;
3. provide written advice to the registrant;
4. issue a written warning to the registrant;
5. require the registrant to take educational courses or training;
6. impose conditions on the registrant’s certificate of registration; or
7. refer contraventions of the Code of Ethics to the Discipline Committee.

As part of HSCPOA’s complaints process your name will never be published. To support HSCPOA’s mandate of public protection, some complaint outcomes may be posted to our Public Register under the registrant’s profile, including any written warnings, orders for training or educational courses, certificate of registration conditions, or referrals to the Discipline Committee.