Committees or councils which include patients and family members are one way for you to become involved in your hospital, regional network or health organization. You have the opportunity to provide staff and administrators with a patient or family point-of-view of the services and to suggest changes to improve these services. This will make them better respond to the needs of patients and their family members.
We are in the process of adding patient and family advisory committees or councils to this section on a weekly or even daily basis, and hope over time to include all patient and family advisory councils in Canada. If you do not find your advisory committee listed in this section, please let us know so that we can add it to our website.
Under the Act respecting Health Services and Social Services (Section III, Articles 209-212), every health care facility is obligated to set up a Users’ Committee in each of the 12 regions of Quebec. As a general rule, the Committees are formed in accordance with each region’s Centre de services de santé et des services sociaux (health and social services centres) or CSSS. These Committees must be made up of at least five members, at least three of which must be users of these facilities. Members must be elected by all the users of the relevant facilities.
According to the Act, the Users’ Committees have these common functions:
- Educate users on their rights and responsibilities;
- Promote the improvement of the quality of users’ living conditions and evaluate users’ degree of satisfaction regarding the services they received at the facility;
- Defend users’ rights and collective interests or, at the request of a user, his or her rights and interests as a user before those of the facility or any other competent authority;
- Accompany and assist, upon request, a user in any action he or she undertakes, including if he or she wants to file a complaint in accordance with sections I, II, and III from chapter III of the title II of this Act or under the Act respecting the Health and Social Services Ombudsman (c P-31.1);
- Ensure, where appropriate, the proper functioning of each Residents Committee and ensure that they have the necessary resources to exercise their functions;
- Evaluate, if necessary, the effectiveness of the measures introduced under the provisions of Article 209.0.1.
When Users’ Committee facilities house 10 or more patients, these facilities must also establish a Residents Committee, with the goal of managing and responding to the needs of the residents.
If you would like more information about the Act respecting Health Services and Social Services or the Users’ Committees, click here and read Articles 209 to 212 (available only in French).
You can also visit the website for the Provincial Users’ Committees (French only).
For more information, please click here (French only).
If you’re interested in being part of a “ comités des usagers” please call (514) 331-5827 or email usagers.cnmtl@sssss.gouv.qc.ca.
Montreal, The Jewish General Hospital: Patient and Family Advisors
Montreal, Children’s Hospital McGill University Health Centre: Family Advisory Forum
Montreal, McGill University Health Centre: The Patients’ Committee
Capitale-Nationale
Mauricie et Centre-du-Québec
Estrie
Montréal
Outaouais
Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Côte-Nord
Nord-du-Québec
Gaspésie et Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Chaudière-Appalaches
Laval
Lanaudière
Laurentides
Montérégie