Concerns & Compliments

The HQCA is a provincial agency that brings together patients, families, and our partners from across healthcare and academia to inspire improvement in patient safety, person-centred care, and health service quality. Our responsibilities are outlined in the Health Quality Council of Alberta Act.

The HQCA’s legislation does not include a role to address individual healthcare concerns or compliments. If you have a concern or compliment with healthcare services in Alberta, there are several resources available. The organization you will need to communicate with will depend on the nature of your feedback. Links to these resources are below.

If you have a medical emergency, call 911. 

  • Health Link – call 811 for health advice or information from a registered nurse 24/7. 
  • Mental Health Help Line – call 1-877-303-2642 anytime for information and referral.

Office of the Alberta Health Advocates

The Office of the Alberta Health Advocates provides support in dealing with concerns about health services in Alberta. Their role is to assist, navigate, review, educate and inform.

Connect with the Office of the Alberta Health Advocates:

Alberta Health Services

To share your feedback about healthcare services provided by Alberta Health Services, find contact options here: Alberta Health Services Patient Concerns &  Feedback

Alberta Health Services also has a website where you can thank the people who care: Thank a Care Team

Covenant Health

To share your feedback about healthcare services provided by Covenant Health, find contact options here: Covenant Health Patient Relations – Patient Feedback

Concerns about your healthcare provider

If you have a concern regarding a specific healthcare provider that cannot be resolved through direct communication with them, it may be best to connect with their regulatory college. There are more than 25 regulatory colleges in Alberta, each representing a unique practitioner type, for example, physicians, nurses, or pharmacists. Visit the Alberta Federation of Regulated Health Professionals to find the college that best relates to your concern.

Concerns about how your feedback was handled

If you have concluded the process of having your concern addressed by any of the parties mentioned above, but have questions about the fairness of how your case was handled, the Alberta Ombudsman may be of assistance. 

If you or a loved one has been harmed

As a patient, you expect safe healthcare. But mistakes can happen – even with experienced healthcare providers in systems designed to be safe. If something happens and you are harmed, you deserve to be treated with respect and to receive timely and transparent communication through a process called disclosure. Learn more about what to do When something goes wrong.