Nursing Homes and Homes for the Aged - FAQ

I want to make a complaint about a nursing home or home for the aged. How do I do this?

Anyone with problems, concerns and/or complaints about a home should call the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's ACTION line at 1-866-434-0144. It is open 7 days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Or, a written letter of complaint can be sent to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Peformance Improvement and Compliance Branch, 55 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite 800, Toronto, Ontario, M4V 2Y7. All complaints are investigated.

Residents or others may also make a complaint to a staff person, the administrator of the facility, or the resident’s council at the facility. Each home is required by law to inform every resident how to make a complaint and to post this information in a public place in the home.

The Bill of Rights for residents of nursing homes and homes for the aged says that every resident must be informed in writing about how to make a complaint. The Bill of Rights also says that residents have the right to raise concerns “without fear of restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal”.