Understanding the Complaint Process

The complaint process is an essential part of the College’s mandate to protect the public. The College, through the BC Health Regulators (BCHR), has participated in a collaborative effort to develop a video to assist both the public and registrants in understanding the complaints process.
 
While the College emphasizes a proactive and remedial approach to ensuring safe and ethical practice through the Quality Assurance Program, the complaint process provides a necessary function to ensuring that there is a transparent process for members of the public if they have complaints or concerns about their health care provider. As a member of the BCHR, the College has worked closely with our health regulation counterparts across the province collaborating with shared best practices on many topics including the complaint process. The BCHR represents 26 regulated health professions governed by 23 colleges with the goals of excellence in public protection and safe, quality care for all British Columbians. In partnership with the BCHR, the CDHBC is pleased to share a video regarding the complaint process.

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Navigating a Complaint Investigation

As a health professional, the prospect of having a complaint made against you to your regulatory body can seem daunting and may bring about some feelings of discomfort, uncertainty, or stress. Some of these negative feelings can be decreased by having an understanding of how complaints are handled by the College and the Inquiry Committee, and what to expect if you are notified of a complaint and investigation.  The College’s mandate is to protect the public so not only are we required to investigate a complaint made to the College, we take the inquiry process seriously.  That being said, the Inquiry Committee is a neutral group of both dental hygienists and public members, who will ensure that a full and thorough investigation of the complaint is done and a decision is made based on that information. 

The goal of the information below is to dispel some of the myths and mystery surrounding a complaint investigation process.

1. DO review the "Complaints and Concerns" page on the College website to better understand the process.  The key thing to remember is that the Inquiry Process is - a transparent process to both the complainant and the registrant.  You will have many opportunities to provide information to the Inquiry Committee and review/respond to information gathered throughout the investigation.
2. DON’T ignore communication from the College.  You will want to be responsive and remain in regular, timely contact with the College.  The Inquiry Committee is required under the Health Professions Act (HPA) to investigate complaints.  So the committee will investigate the complaint and make a decision with or without your input. They would much rather have your input.  Ignoring communications from the College will not make the investigation go away.
3. DO ensure that you are receiving email communications from the College by checking all of your email folders regularly. Obviously this is linked to number 2 – if you are not getting College emails you can’t respond.  Furthermore, we have had a number of people be referred to Inquiry because they failed to meet up to their regulatory obligations (i.e. failing to renew on time and engaging in unlicensed practice) all because they were not getting our emails.  Don’t let this happen to you!  Despite efforts on our end, Hotmail email accounts continue to be problematic and have been noted to mistakenly filter College domain emails (e.g. jdoe@cdhbc.com) to a Junk/Spam folder.  It is highly recommended to use another email provider such as Gmail and/or add the College to your “safe sender” list.
4. DON’T rush your responses to the College.  If you are involved in an investigation, it is a time when you want to sit down and draft a well thought out response.  It is not the time to send a quick email from your iPhone.  Make sure to provide accurate and detailed information in a professional manner.  Pay attention to grammar and spelling.  You want to put your best foot forward and your communications with the College is a reflection on your level of professionalism.
5. DO familiarize yourself with the Records of Decisions published on the College website.  These Records of Decisions represent an anonymous summary of cases that have gone before the Inquiry Committee and the decisions the committee has made. Every case is different and what the committee may decide can never be predicted, but the Records of Decisions will provide you with real examples of the process and the resulting decisions.  Decisions can range from dismissing the complaint as no wrongdoing was found to the issuance of a citation for a discipline hearing because there were serious breaches of the standards of practice and/or code of ethics to everything in between.

The College remains accountable to the public and must ensure that valid complaints are taken seriously and that adequate/thorough investigations are undertaken with integrity. Understanding the investigative process, along with your responsibilities during the conduct of an investigation, will not only assuage your stress level but will also help you to conduct yourself in a manner that will contribute to a fair and just outcome. Back to Top

Public Notification: Outcome of a Complaint Related to Infection Control Protocols

A public notice was recently posted on the CDHBC website following an investigation and resolution of a matter related to compliance with Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines.  This case underlines the importance of always adhering to those guidelines as well as complying with an investigation as required by the Health Professions Act.

As per section 39(3) of the Health Professions Act, public notification of this matter has been posted on the College website:
Public Notification: Carmelina Buska
 
Infection prevention and control is an essential component to providing safe dental hygiene care as outlined by CDHBC Practice Standard #2. Furthermore, dental hygienists have a duty to the public under the CDHBC Code of Ethics to hold paramount the health and welfare of those served professionally and provide competent and appropriate care to clients.

The CDHBC Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Guidelines reflect current knowledge of the transmission of infection, its prevention and control, as well as the expectations of the public and government. The guidelines are intended to provide all dental health care professionals with the knowledge of principles and standards to inform and properly implement necessary infection prevention and control measures in a safe and effective manner, including standards of practice that must be met.

Concerns about the possible spread of blood-borne diseases, and the impact of emerging, highly contagious respiratory and other illnesses, require dental hygiene practitioners to establish, evaluate, continually update and monitor their infection prevention and control strategies and protocols. All registrants are required to maintain current knowledge of infection prevention and control procedures, and apply and maintain them appropriately and consistently.

Non-compliance with the CDHBC IPC Guidelines poses significant risk to the public and concerns related to a registrant’s infection prevention and control practice must be reported to the CDHBC. As the above inquiry case demonstrates, compliance with the CDHBC IPC Guidelines is serious practice issue that registrants always need to be conscious of when providing dental hygiene care. Back to Top

Root of the Matter: Silver Diamine Fluoride

On February 20, 2017, Health Canada approved 38% Silver Diamine Fluoride, under the brand name Advantage Arrest by the Elevate Oral Care company for use as an anti-caries agent for those from childhood (minimum 3 years of age) to adults. Click here to learn more. Back to Top

Reserve Your Seat at the Next QAP OLP Webinar

CDHBC is pleased to present another session of the Quality Assurance Program Online Learning Plan Webinar live on Wednesday June 14^th, 2017 at 7:00pm.

Please click here for webinar information and how to save your seat.

Please note: this is a repeat session from April 6, 2017.  Back to Top

Moving?

It is a bylaw requirement that registrants of the College ensure that their mailing address is always current on the CDHBC register. Incorrect or out-of-date addresses can lead to missed mailings that may include important notices and documents. Address changes can be submitted online at www.cdhbc.com or via email to cdhbc@cdhbc.com and should include the following information:
 

• Name
• Registration Number
• Old Address
• New Address
• Email
• Telephone
• Effective Date

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