Questions, concerns and complaints

About the conduct of your regulated healthcare provider

Alberta’s regulatory health colleges exist to help ensure Albertans receive safe, ethical, competent healthcare services and are treated in a professional manner. As a result, we take concerns and complaints about the conduct of healthcare professionals very seriously.

Most regulated healthcare professionals provide qualified, competent, ethical care and practice within their College's standards. That said, things can sometimes happen (often through miscommunication/ misunderstanding between patient and provider) that result in a complaint.

Questions or concerns

If you have a question or concern about the conduct of your regulated healthcare provider, you should discuss it directly (in person, by phone or in writing) with the practitioner in question. Immediate and direct communication can resolve misunderstandings quickly and easily.

If the problem is not resolved or you are uncomfortable discussing it with the practitioner, you can talk to the College responsible for that provider’s profession.

Making a formal complaint

Colleges have the power to investigate complaints about regulated health professionals. If you wish to make a formal complaint; contact the College responsible for that practitioner. Most Colleges will require a formal complaint in writing.

After a complaint is made

Colleges investigate complaints. Disciplinary committees made up of members of the profession as well as public members appointed by government. If standards were not met or a practitioner behaved improperly, the College has the authority take a variety of corrective or disciplinary actions to help ensure the situation isn’t repeated.

Actions taken will depend on the nature and severity of the situation. Some examples of disciplinary actions include: formal reprimands, imposing conditions on a practitioner’s license (e.g., must practice under supervision), ordering the practitioner to complete specialized programs/ course, imposing fines and the ability to suspend or terminate the professionals license to practice.

What Colleges don’t have the authority to do is compensate the complainant. All concerns and complaints are treated confidentially, within a process designed to ensure fairness to both the person making the allegation and the practitioner in question.

If you have any questions about a profession's practice standards or complaints process, or would discuss a concern please contact the College responsible for the profession in question. College website links are provided on our ‘members’ page.

Other resources

If a College does not resolve your complaint to your satisfaction you can contact Alberta's ombudsman. If your complaint is about a hospital, wait times or the Alberta health care system, please contact Alberta Health and Wellness.