Professional Licensing

Complaint Resolution Process

Making a Complaint

To make a complaint about a member of a profession regulated by the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS)*, you can contact the Complaints Officer (CO) or fill out the form on the DHSS Professional Licensing Office website.

The CO will review your complaint and contact you to confirm the summary of your complaint and obtain your consent to move forward.

*Applicable regulated professions in Health and Social Services can be found at: www.hss.gov.nt.ca/services/professional-licensing.

Notification

The CO will send a notification of your complaint to the member(s) of the regulated profession (the Respondent) named in your complaint so that the Respondent has an opportunity to respond to the complaint.

Information Gathering and Review

The CO will gather information about the complaint, which can include further contact with the Complainant and the Respondent, and collecting and reviewing records or other information to determine best next steps:

  • If the information gathered does require further investigation, the complaint will move to “Investigation”.
  • If the information gathered does not require further investigation, the complaint will move to be resolved through “Possible Outcomes”.

Investigation

A professional investigator will gather the information necessary to fully understand your complaint. This can include retrieving copies of your health information records and interviewing individuals involved in or who are witnesses to your case.

The investigator produces an Investigation Report on the complaint which is then submitted to an expert witness (qualified member of the profession) to review and provide their expert opinion on any findings the Investigation Report may include.

The CO will then connect with their lawyer to determine the next steps per the expert opinion.

Possible Outcomes

Once all the relevant information has been collected and, where appropriate, an investigation has occurred, the CO may:

  • Dismiss the complaint;
  • Resolve the complaint through solutions agreed to by all parties;
  • Review and action Alternative Dispute Resolution options;
  • Refer the complaint to a Board of Inquiry*.

*Board of Inquiry is a formal panel of experts that examine the complaint, determine if there was unprofessional conduct, and directs remedies or actions to resolve the issue(s).