Patient Care Quality – Help Shape B.C.'s Health Care Quality Process - First Nations, Métis, Inuit Survey

Introduction

For many Indigenous patients, the health care system represents ongoing colonial violence, not single incidents of harm. For many years First Nations, Métis, and Inuit patients, communities, governments, and organizations have gifted time and wisdom to shed light on Indigenous patient experiences and advocate for change. This includes public reports such as the 2020 In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care (IPS) which made recommendations about the way healthcare-related harm gets reviewed in B.C. We have developed this survey based on what we have heard so far to help us make review processes more open, culturally safe, and better at addressing Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination.

This survey also supports 2025-2027 research priorities created by Indigenous Peoples under B.C.’s Anti-Racism Data Act. Developed through consultation and cooperation with First Nations, Métis and Inuit across B.C., these priorities highlight the need to better understand experiences of racism, discrimination, and profiling within the health care system.

How your information will be used

We will use what we learn from this survey to:

• inform improvements to health care quality review processes
• help shape how the health care system responds to patient concerns, including concerns about Indigenous-specific racism 

To create review processes that are safe, easy to access, and able to create real change, we need to hear from communities who may be more affected by harm in health care or who may face barriers when submitting a concern or taking part in a patient care quality review. To help us centre the voices and experiences of these communities, public survey respondents will be asked to self-identify where they are comfortable doing so. 

Please know that:

• your individual responses will be kept confidential
• the survey will not ask for personal information that can identify you 
• any identifying technical information (for example, your IP address) will not be connected to your responses in reporting

We will uphold the right of First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities to access their data, including data gathered through this survey. If you have any questions about why this data has been collected or would like access to these data, please contact Director, Patient Care Quality at PatientCareQuality@gov.bc.ca.
Your voice matters and will help build a health care system that better supports healing and accountability.

Patient care quality review processes

The Ministry of Health works with a provincial health authority, five regional health authorities, and a First Nations health authority to provide health care and related services to British Columbians. When patients or care providers have concerns about a health care experience, there are processes in place to review what happened, respond to concerns, and improve future care. We are working to make these processes more accessible, effective, culturally safe, and transparent. We invite you to help shape what comes next.

Two important parts of the health care quality system:

• Patient Care Quality (PCQ) Program: Each health authority has a Patient Care Quality Office where patients or someone they trust can share concerns about their health care and receive a response. If concerns are not resolved, they can be independently reviewed by the Patient Care Quality Review Board (PCQRB), which may make recommendations for resolution and quality improvement to health authorities and/or the Minister of Health.  
• Health Care Reviews: When something goes wrong, health care providers review what happened to understand why it happened and how to prevent it in the future. Currently, legal protections allow providers to speak openly during these reviews without their discussions being used in court. However, these protections can limit what information can be shared with patients and families.

Your involvement

We want to understand what you expect from a better health care review process. Specifically, we're asking about:

• How and when you would you want to share concerns
• What information you want to receive during and after a review
• Who should be allowed to see the results of a review for learning and quality improvement
• What supports you would need throughout the process
• How to make the process respectful and safe

Please note: When we talk about “health care concerns or incidents” in this survey, we mean any experience where your care caused you harm, put you at risk, or did not meet your needs. This includes experiences of racism, discrimination, or culturally unsafe care. It can also include things like medication errors, communication problems, or disrespectful treatment. All concerns are important and help improve health care.

Before you begin

Before you start, please take a moment to read the information below about your participation. 

• Participation in this survey is voluntary
• You may skip any questions you do not want to answer
• You can stop the survey at any time without providing a reason
• The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete
• A summary of survey results will be shared publicly in early 2027
• The survey will close on June 26 at 4:00 pm PT

Participation is voluntary. Not participating or choosing not to answer certain questions will not affect your access to any government benefits or services.

If you have questions about why this information is being collected, please contact: Executive Director, Citizen Engagement, CitizenEngagement@gov.bc.ca