Rights & Responsbilities

Patient rights

• To be treated with courtesy and respect and in a way that fully recognizes your dignity and individuality and to be free from mental and physical abuse.
• To be afforded privacy in treatment and in caring for your personal needs.
• To be told who is responsible for and who is providing your direct care.
• To be informed of your medical condition, treatment and proposed course of treatment.
• To give or refuse consent to treatment, including medication in accordance with the law and to be informed of the consequences of giving or refusing consent.
• To have the opportunity to participate fully in making any decision and obtaining an independent medical opinion concerning any aspect of your care, including any decision concerning your admission, discharge or transfer from a hospital.
• To have your medical records kept confidential in accordance with the law.
• To communicate in confidence, to receive visitors of your choice and to consult in private with any person without interference.
• To exercise the rights of a citizen and to raise concerns or recommend changes in policies and services on behalf of yourself or others to the staff, government officials or any other person inside or outside the facility without fear of restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination or reprisal.
• To live in a safe and clean environment.
• When being considered for restraints, to be fully informed and to have your family members fully informed about the procedures and the consequences of receiving or refusing them.
• To have members of your family present 24 hours per day, depending on the physician’s evaluation of the situation, when your death is imminent.

Patient responsibilities

• To observe the rules and regulations of the facility as in effect at the time of admission and as altered from time to time
• To treat your fellow patients, roommates and staff with courtesy and consideration and to bear in mind their rights at all times
• To observe at all times the no smoking regulations for your own protection and that of other patients and staff
• To participate always and with promptness in fire and disaster drills as directed by staff
• To use with care all supplies, linens and furnishings just as if they were your own
• To provide truthful information to the appropriate staff and administration concerning all aspects of your mental, physical and financial status and to keep them informed of any change in these
• To consider that other patients may require more assistance and more urgently than you
• To report promptly anything you feel needs attention (i.e. safety hazards, security or anything you feel is not right)
• To give the Charge Nurse or any of the administrative staff an opportunity to correct a complaint or grievance by speaking to them directly. If your grievance is not resolved to your satisfaction within a reasonable time, you may contact the Chief Executive Officer by letter, email or telephone.
• To be fair and loyal to your fellow patients and the staff
• To take care of your personal items and valuables and send home anything that is not needed as the hospital does not accept responsibility for any loss or damage of any personal items.

Visitors’ responsibilities

As a family member or friend, you also have a role to play. We count on you to assist us in the following ways:

• Respect our patients’ right to privacy and leave the patient room or care area when asked by hospital staff – indecent or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated.
• Be considerate of the rights of our patients and hospital staff by treating them with courtesy and respect.
• Do not visit if you are not feeling well or have an illness that could be transferred to our patients.
• Be respectful of the property of other people and of the hospital.
• Comply with all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws.
• Comply with safe conduct regulations.
• Photos are not to be taken while on hospital property without prior approval.
• Visitors who do not comply with these responsibilities may be asked to leave or could be escorted off hospital property.