If you have a concern about the care or treatment you or someone else received from a doctor in New Brunswick, we want to help.
Before you file a complaint, we encourage you to speak with your physician about your concerns. Often, an explanation may be all that is needed. If your attempt is unsuccessful or unsatisfactory, please consider the information below before filing a complaint.
We aim to triage your complaint within two weeks, after which we will contact you about next steps. Please note that it typically takes approximately 12 months to receive a decision regarding a complaint, although more complex complaints require more time. Any questions or concerns regarding this form or the complaints process can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by telephone to (506)849-5050, ext. 2.
We believe in creating a safe and respectful environment where patients, physicians and College staff are treated with respect and compassion. Abusive or threatening behavior towards our staff will not be tolerated.
When to file a complaint
You have concerns about the care a doctor provided to yourself or someone else. For example, you do not think the diagnosis was correct or you do not think the care and treatment you received was the right care and treatment.
GO TO COMPLAINT FORM
You have concerns about the doctor’s conduct or ethics. Examples include issues related to behavior, communication, conflicts of interest, breaches of privacy, or off-duty criminal conduct.
GO TO COMPLAINT FORM
You have concerns that a doctor touched you or someone else inappropriately. If you think you experienced sexual abuse or harassment by a New Brunswick doctor, we urge you to contact us at (506)849-5050, ext. 2. An experienced staff member is available to answer your questions or help you through the complaints process.
GO TO COMPLAINT FORM
When not to file a complaint
Financial compensation is not available through the college’s complaint process. If you are looking for financial compensation, you should seek legal advice. Please note that you do not need to wait for our complaints process to be completed before you decide to take legal action.
The College cannot help you find a family doctor. The Government of New Brunswick has various resources to help you find a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
The College cannot order your doctor to provide a specific treatment or medication. Physicians are expected to use their knowledge, skill and judgment when managing their patients’ care. If you have additional questions, our Complaints and Investigation Officer may be able to answer your questions or assist you with your concerns. Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
Doctors write their notes based on their assessment at the time. If you think there is a mistake in your medical record, the College cannot order your doctor to correct this. We suggest contacting OmbudNB for more information at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 1-888-465-1100.
The College oversees physicians, physician assistants, medical students, and residents. The College cannot address the care or conduct of nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, or other members of a health care team.
For concerns regarding a nurse or nurse practitioner, please consult the Nurses Association of New Brunswick.
For concerns regarding a pharmacist, please consult the New Brunswick Pharmacists’ Association.
Complaints about care received in a hospital or long-term care home may sometimes be complex and multi-faceted and involve the care or conduct of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and pharmacists. The College only oversees physicians and physician assistants. The College cannot address the care or conduct of nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, or other members of a health care team. While complaints about physicians working in these environments may be presented to the College, it may be preferable to present your complaint to the hospital or long-term care home if it touches on the care or conduct provided by more than just the physician so that all your concerns may be addressed at the same time.
The College cannot intervene in a decision made by an insurance company, CPP, Worker’s Compensation or Employment Insurance. If one of these entities has denied your claim, you can use their appeals process.
In addition, a doctor conducting an independent medical examination is not considered to be providing you with care.
If you feel mistreated by your doctor’s staff, try having a discussion with your doctor about the issue. There may also be an office/clinic manager or another person responsible for the office staff that may be able to assist you.
If you have already tried to manage this without success, please contact us for advice or assistance.
Other concerns
Physicians have different reasons for decreasing the size of their practice or ending a physician/patient relationship. In doing so, physicians are expected to respect the College’s practice standards. For more information on the circumstances justifying termination of care, please see our professional standard on Termination of Care. If you feel that you were dismissed from your physician’s care without valid justification, you may wish to consider filing a complaint.
When a physician closes their practices for reasons of retirement, relocation, or any other reason, they are obligated to make adequate provisions to minimize any impact on their patients. A similar obligation applies to physicians who anticipate an extended absence from practice. For more information, please consult our professional standard on Closing a Practice.
Physicians are required to provide medical records, subject to certain exceptions, within a reasonable time. The College generally views a delay of 30 days as being reasonable. If you have requested a copy of your medical record from your doctor and have not yet received it and your request is urgent, we suggest contacting your physician to discuss the urgency of your request.
Your doctor may charge a reasonable fee for providing access to your records. For more information on these fees, please contact OmbudNB at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 1-888-465-1100.
Due to strains on our health care system, wait times for appointments have increased. While this is frustrating, patients are urged to be understanding. However, if your condition worsens or your symptoms change, you should immediately contact your family physician or specialist for direction. Depending on the nature of your symptoms you may need to visit their office or the nearest emergency room.
If you are unable to book an appointment or cannot reach your physician because the phone is not answered, message(s) are not returned or the physician’s contact information is outdated, please send us an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
An inflexible “one problem per visit” policy is not acceptable. However, physicians are not required to address all of a patient’s concerns in one visit. They must place the patient’s best interest before their own and implement practices to ensure that urgent matters are appropriately addressed in a timely fashion and less urgent matters are deferred to a later scheduled appointment.
Medicare does not cover all medical services and treatments. Physicians may charge for services not covered by Medicare. For more information, please consult our Guideline on Charging for Uninsured Services and the Government of New Brunswick’s information page on Uninsured Services.
As a general rule, family physicians must use a first-come, first-served approach when accepting new patients into their practices and are not allowed to cherry pick or discriminate against prospective patients. See our Potential Patients professional standard.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can file a complaint on behalf of another person. Our investigator will ask you to provide a copy of your relative’s Will, Power of Attorney or other appropriate document that proves you have authority to provide consent to access your relative’s medical records. If you do not have legal authorization, the College can still proceed with your complaint, however the information we can share with you will be more limited.
Yes, you may choose to present your complaint in French or English.
Possibly. Making a complaint may damage the physician-patient relationship such that you might need to find another physician.
There is no time limit to file a complaint. However, physicians are only required to keep adult patients’ files for 10 years. The more time that has passed since the incident(s), the more difficult investigation becomes. We strongly recommend filing your complaint as soon as possible to ensure memories are fresh, the medical records exist, and witnesses can be located.
We try to resolve complaints in a timely manner; the typical processing time is approximately 12 months. However, reviewing a complaint may take longer depending on the complaint’s complexity, gravity, length of investigation, and availability of experts (if required).
It is generally not possible to file an anonymous complaint as the physician will not be able to respond and it is more difficult for the College to investigate.
The majority of complaints are confidential and the information is only shared with the physician and the Committee that considers the complaint.
A small number of very serious complaints may be presented to a Board of Inquiry. In these cases, the hearing is generally open to the public and the outcome of the hearing is posted to our website. If serious privacy concerns exist, a publication ban or sealing order may be ordered to protect privacy.
The College must have access to relevant patient information and records to properly investigate a complaint and the physician involved in the complaint must also have access to this information to respond to the complaint. Under the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act, we can obtain this information without obtaining your consent. However, patient privacy is taken very seriously, and we only gather the necessary information to process the complaint.
- We notify the physician of the complaint and a copy of it is shared with the physician.
- An investigator gathers information about the concerns you have raised.
- The physician responds to the complaint, and the response is shared with the patient.
- The complaint, responses, and evidence gathered during the investigation are typically presented to the Complaints and Registration Committee, which reviews all evidence and makes a recommendation to the Council of the College regarding the complaint. The most significant complaints may be presented to the Review Committee or a Board of Inquiry.
- If a complaint goes to the Review Board or a Board of Inquiry, you may be called as a witness to testify.
- The decision regarding the complaint is provided to you and the physician.
The majority of complaints are non-disciplinary in nature. Possible outcomes include:
- No further action to be taken with respect to the complaint.
- Provide advice to the physician.
- Provide a Counsel to the physician, which is formal advice to the physician on how to improve their practice.
- Provide a Caution to the physician, which is an expression of dissatisfaction and a forewarning that if the conduct recurs, disciplinary action may be considered.
- Provide a Censure to the physician, which is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism.
- Order the physician to take a course.
For extremely significant complaints, which are disciplinary in nature, outcomes may include a reprimand, payment of a fine, suspension, or even revocation of a licence.