Licensed Community Care facilities are inspected to protect the health, safety and well-being of residents, and to ensure minimum health and safety requirements are being followed. These requirements include facility specific policies, staffing, care, building requirements and others. Inspection reports inform the facility operator and the public of current compliance with requirements and also provide a historical context.
In addition to inspections, an investigation is conducted in response to complaints.
Licensed Community Care facilities are regulated either under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, Child Care Licensing Regulation or the Residential Care Regulations and the Director of Licensing Standards of Practice.
A complaint (concern or dissatisfaction) respecting the operation of a licensed community care facility under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act may be submitted by the general public, a person in care, family or staff/volunteer of a facility or another agency. All complaints received by Community Care Facilities Licensing are investigated, reviewed and followed up.
Complaint information on this website is a summary of confirmed violations or deficiencies found during the complaint investigation process. The complaint information reflects the date when the complaint was received, the area where the violation or deficiency was found, and indicates that the facility has taken the necessary corrective actions.
Individuals seeking a care arrangement for their loved one are cautioned against making conclusions about the quality of a facility based solely on the number or type of complaints. Before making a decision about the quality and suitability of a facility for yourself or loved one, take time to make sure you have enough information by conducting additional research, gathering information and contacting the facility to make arrangements for a visit.
If you have questions about a particular facility please contact your local Licensing Office. If you want to register a complaint about a facility please contact your local Licensing Office.
A licensed care facility provides care to three or more individuals who are dependent on caregivers. Licensed care facilities are governed by the minimum health and safety requirements of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, Child Care Licensing Regulation, Residential Care Regulation and Director of Licensing Standards of Practice.
All complaints are investigated in a confidential and timely manner, with particular emphasis on the safety of persons in care and administrative fairness. Complaints are investigated in a fair and transparent manner and, if the complainant requests to be anonymous, every effort is made to protect their identity. However, it may not always be possible to protect confidentiality in circumstances where matters proceed to an appeal or to court.
Under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act a complaint investigation determines if the facility is being operated in a manner that does not comply with the minimum health and safety requirements, and to intervene where the quality of care puts residents at risk. Protecting the overall health and safety of residents is the first priority of any investigation.
Once a complaint has been investigated and is substantiated, the facility operator is required to identify and fix the violation or deficiency to prevent harm to persons in care.
There are times when violations or deficiencies cannot be immediately fixed. In these instances, steps can be taken to ensure safety while an investigation is underway.
This is referred to as a health and safety plan. A health and safety plan is a written plan of action developed by the facility operator to put in place the actions needed to ensure immediate safety. A health and safety plan remains in place until the violation or deficiency has been fixed, and is monitored for compliance.
If required, the health authority can force a facility to comply to ensure the health and safety of persons in care.
Posting summary information about substantiated complaints provides the public with information about licensed community care facilities, strengthening public accountability and transparency.
Complaint information on this website is a summary of confirmed violations or deficiencies found during the complaint investigation process. The complaint information reflects the date when the complaint was received, the area where the violation or deficiency was found, and indicates that the facility has taken the necessary corrective actions.
Only complaints which were substantiated through the investigation process will be posted on this website. The summary will include information that reflects the date of when the complaint was received, the area where the violation or deficiency was found, and indicate whether the facility has taken the necessary actions to ensure the health and safety of the persons in care.
Complaints about a facility which were not substantiated during the investigation process will not appear on this website.
Summary complaint information will not:
No. Personal identifying information regarding the residents, staff or complainants will not be posted on the website. The facility operator name and business contact information will be posted to allow people to contact the facility if they have any additional questions or concerns.
There may not be any substantiated complaints on the specific facility you are looking for as the practice of posting complaints only started in September 2012. It is also possible the facility you are looking for is not regulated as a long term care facility; it may be independent living, supportive housing or a registered assisted living residence. (www.health.gov.bc.ca/assisted/)
Every complaint received is investigated. The degree of the investigation depends on the nature of the complaint. Some complaints, such as those involving abuse, are of a serious and sometimes complex nature and may require additional resources and time to investigate. The investigation process takes immediate steps to address the safety of persons in care through a health and safety plan while gathering information to determine if the complaint can be substantiated.
Information is not disclosed or posted on the website about a complaint during the investigation process. If the complaint is not substantiated during the investigation process, no information will be posted on the website.
Regulations are in place to promote the health, safety, and dignity of residents. It is important to stay involved with your family member’s life after they have moved into a facility and to ask questions and observe any changes in their circumstance. Other ways to be involved include participating in the resident/family council and to taking part in your relative’s care planning. The following resources can assist you:
Assisted Living Registrar www.health.gov.bc.ca/assisted/ Alzheimer Society of Canada www.alzheimer.ca BC Care Providers www.bccare.ca/ BC Seniors Living Association www.bcsla.ca Canadian Virtual Hospice www.virtualhospice.ca Denominational Health Association www.chabc.bc.ca/ Parkinson's Foundation of Canada www.parkinson.ca Senior Care Canada www.seniorcarecanada.ca
Additional information about the investigation process can be found by contacting your local Licensing Office.
To submit a complaint please contact you local Licensing Office.
