Complaints

We encourage you to share your concerns about a physician or surgeon’s professionalism or clinical competence if you think there is a risk to the public.

What you can expect when you submit a complaint with CPSBC

• It is the beginning of a regulatory and legal process.
• We have complaint navigators to help guide you through the process.
• Most of the process is handled in writing, through letters.
• We are required to share all complaints with the physician or surgeon involved.
• The physician or surgeon writes a response. You get a copy of their response and can respond to it.

We regulate BC’s physicians and surgeons.

We can investigate:

• all physicians and surgeons licensed with CPSBC
• a physician or surgeon's office practices

We cannot investigate:

• a physician or surgeon's medical office staff
  • We expect the physician or surgeon to take full accountability for their office staff's actions and/or behaviour.
• other regulated health-care professional (e.g. nurse, dentist, pharmacist, chiropractor, etc.)
• teams of people working at a hospital or community facility
  • We recommend reaching out to the Patient Care Quality Office in a regional health authority.

We strive to be fair and reasonable with our decision-making process.

We can:

• review a physician or surgeon's care and conduct to determine if they met the CPSBC practice standards
• provide a range of remedial and disciplinary measures to help the physician or surgeon improve their practice

We regulate the practice of medicine under provincial law. 

We cannot:

• direct the clinical care of patients
• transfer a patient's care to another physician or surgeon
• compel a physician or surgeon to apologize
• provide or insist on financial compensation
• overrule opinions given in independent medical examinations (e.g. independent medical examinations for WorkSafeBC, ICBC)
• keep a complainant's identity anonymous