the services provided can also hamper a person’s ability or willingness to discuss their
situation in any detail. Having an advocate to engage in discussions and negotiations
with the service provider on behalf of the client can greatly assist in securing and
maintaining greater levels of services.
B. Questions about Quality of ServicesMany disputes related to the provision of attendant services involve the manner in which
services are delivered or the quality of service. These issues are more difficult to
resolve, not only because the issues involved are often more complex and open to
interpretation, but also because the Health Services Appeal and Review Board cannot
deal with questions about quality of service. Pursuant to sections 39 and 40 of the
Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994, HSARB has the jurisdiction to hear
appeals dealing with eligibility for community services, exclusions from a community
service, the amount of a service and the termination of a service by Attendant Care
Outreach Services. While issues about the quality of a community service and alleged
violations of the Bill of Rights can be the subject of a complaint to an agency providing
attendant services, these are not issues that can be appealed to HSARB.^32 This leaves
little in the way of a formal mechanism to address common types of complaints raised
by clients.
Questions about quality of service are often created by staffing shortages, high staff
turnover, scheduling conflicts and other organizational issues. These problems can add
major tensions to the consumer – service provider relationship.
- Staff Changes
Staff changes also mean that recipients must devote service hours to training several
different attendants to perform the same job. Time spent instructing new attendants
means less time is available for the attendant to actually perform the required services.
(^32) See sections 39 and 40 of the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994, S.O. c. 26