Early Resolution Specialist

At Ontario Health, we are committed to developing a strong organizational culture that connects and inspires all team members across the province. Our vision is that together, we will be a leader in health and wellness for all. Our mission is to connect the health system to drive improved and equitable health outcomes, experiences and value. How we work together is reflected through our five values: integrity, inspiration, tenacity, humility and care.

About Patient Ombudsman

Patient Ombudsman is a growing organization that is a champion of fairness in Ontario’s health care system. Fulfil your passion for public service by making a difference in the lives of patients, residents, caregivers, and families and influencing positive change across the system.

Patient Ombudsman receives, attempts to resolve, and investigates complaints from patients or their caregivers about their care or experiences in public hospitals, long-term care homes and home care support services. Patient Ombudsman may also investigate matters on its own initiative. Following investigations, Patient Ombudsman makes recommendations to healthcare organizations based on our findings.

As an impartial office of last resort, Patient Ombudsman helps when patients and caregivers have not been able to resolve their complaint directly with the health sector organization. As an ombudsman office, PO acts independently of Ontario Health (OH) in accordance with the Statement of Principles of the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman.

The office of the Patient Ombudsman is supported by Ontario Health in carrying out its functions in accordance with the
_Excellent Care for All Act, 2010_. Ontario Health is the provincial agency responsible for ensuring Ontarians receive high-quality health care services where and when they need them.

Want to make a difference in your career? Consider this opportunity

Here is what you will be doing:
Reporting to the Manager, Complaints Services, the Early Resolution Specialist is responsible for providing timely, equitable, and respectful front-line response and resolution of complainants relating to Ontario’s public hospitals, home and community care support services, and long-term care homes.

Complaint Intake:

- Provides immediate, front-line response to inquiries from complainants, health sector organizations, and the public, addressing concerns and complaints, helping with healthcare system navigation, and explaining Patient Ombudsman services, mandate, and jurisdiction.
- Conducts interviews with stakeholders over the phone, or in person/in writing as appropriate, clarifying requests and complaints, identifying key issues, determining eligibility/validity of complaint and jurisdictional applicability, and providing guidance on steps to be taken to formally address concerns, creating case files, and gaining stakeholder permission to access records to proceed with the PO resolution process.
- Extracts relevant information through interviews, evaluating root causes of issues and degree of distress/anxiety/agitation of complainant, assessing complexity, sensitivity and associated risks of issues, and taking active steps to mitigate risks and diffuse situations.
- Facilitates discussions between complainants and health sector agency representatives, gathering and consolidating relevant information and explanations, facilitating connections/referrals, and ensuring proper documentation and follow up for all interactions.
- Working independently and in consultation with the Complaint Services team and Patient Ombudsman staff, determines appropriate courses of action to resolve issues/cases, formulating opinions on fairness, identifying when cases should be closed, referred, or escalated internally, and ensuring all involved parties are apprised of decisions.
- Ensures complainants/callers are appropriately and sensitively accommodated.
- Identifies potential abuse and neglect issues in long-term care, ensuring mandatory reports to the Ministry of Long-Term Care are prepared and submitted.

Complaint Resolution/Case Management:

- Provides appropriate information and referrals in response to complaints falling outside the jurisdiction of, or are premature for, Patient Ombudsman to consider.
- Analyzes case file information and issues, consolidating relevant information, assessing associated risks and sensitivities, determining appropriate courses of action to close or escalate a file, and ensuring all between-party correspondence is prepared in a timely manner.
- Identifies opportunities to connect complainants and health sector organizations, engaging respectfully, facilitating information exchange, negotiating outcomes, resolving disputes, and preparing decisions to close or refer case files
- Ensures complex, sensitive, high profile, or systemic issues are brought to the attention of the Manager, Complaint Services and/or members of the Patient Ombudsman team for direction, further investigation, and recommendations.