Complaints of mistreatment at the region’s health authority have tripled in the past year, according to the national commissioner for Complaints and Service Quality at Santé Québec.
According to commissioner Martine Gosselin’s 2024-2025 report, complaints of mistreatment at the Centre intégré de santé et des services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) jumped from 323 cases in 2023-2024 to 960 cases just one year later. The increase represents a staggering 197 per cent increase in reports of mistreatment. CISSSO is the public body responsible for coordinating and providing all health and social services for the Outaouais region.
According to the report, Santé Québec defines mistreatment as “psychological or moral harassment, incivility or misconduct, physical mistreatment or neglect, financial mistreatment and organizational mistreatment.”
Santé Québec complaints advisor Simon Latulippe told the Low Down that one of the main factors in a rise in complaints is efforts to encourage more patients and staff members to report instances of abuse and maltreatment. He told the Low Down that reporting abuse is now a legal requirement.
“People are now more informed and more encouraged to come forward. Importantly, reporting is no longer simply a matter of goodwill: It is a legal obligation,” said Latulippe. “Education and awareness efforts have been conducted to ensure that all relevant parties understand this obligation and its implications.”
Latulippe also noted that the legal framework around the Act to Combat Maltreatment of Seniors and Other Persons was “strengthened and reinforced” in 2022. This forced all public and private institutions in the health and social services network to “adopt and implement an anti-maltreatment policy.” The overhaul also added protection for whistleblowers and created a central “single gateway” for information, support and reporting of mistreatment, according to the province’s online law resource website Légis Québec.
Latulippe said the reinforced act “has significantly expanded the scope of mandatory reporting.”
“Every health and social service provider and every professional who, in the course of their duties, has reasonable grounds to believe that a person is a victim of mistreatment, is now required to report it,” he said.
Latulippe also said that the definition of mistreatment has been expanded to include “situations that were once normalized, minimized or simply not recognized as mistreatment.” He said that what was previously considered acceptable behaviour is no longer the norm.
“What was previously accepted, consciously or not, is now understood for what it truly is,” said Latulippe. “This shift in awareness and language has, in itself, brought many situations to light that would previously have gone unreported.”
CISSSO spokesperson Camille Brochu-Lafrance said the region’s health authority has begun implementing measures and recommendations to combat mistreatment, including staff training, communication, and patient and caregiver roundtables. These include the promotion of an elder abuse hotline, promoting services for family caregivers and “raising awareness about recognizing signs of burnout and available resources.”
“Several training sessions were offered in various settings, particularly in long-term care facilities, focusing on understanding, detecting and addressing abuse,” said Brochu-Lafrance. “These training sessions made it possible to raise awareness, demystify the types of abuse, identify warning signs, explain Act 6.3 – the Act to combat maltreatment of seniors and other persons of full age in vulnerable situations – review the criteria for mandatory reporting and equip settings to implement a well-treatment approach – a key lever for preventing abuse.”
Brochu-Lafrance said that since Gosselin’s damning report was released eight staff members working in long-term care facilities have been trained, with more training planned for CISSSO’s 246 employees across all departments.
“A one-pager was developed to facilitate access to training on the types of abuse, both internal and external,” she said. “Representatives from each department also receive a summary document outlining expectations and are required to participate in various training sessions.”
To report abuse, visit: cisss-outaouais.gouv.qc.ca and fill out their “Abuse Report Form” or call the senior mistreatment help line at 1-888-489-2287.
This story was written by Trevor Greenway, editor at The Low Down newspaper, where it was originally published on Mar. 30. We have republished it with permission.
