The following information is to help members of the public, employers, coworkers, and others who want to submit a complaint about the conduct of an EMT or a paramedic.
The Paramedic Association of New Brunswick (PANB) has the authority to address complaints about EMT’s & paramedics who are currently registered to practise in New Brunswick or who were registered to practise in New Brunswick at the time your complaint arose. Complaints within PANB’s jurisdiction raise concerns that EMT’s or paramedics:
- practiced inappropriately and/or failed to meet the Standards of Practice or Code of Ethics requirements;
- have medical, physical, psychological or other condition(s) that makes her/him/them unfit, incapable or unsafe to practise; and/or
- pose a risk to the public as a result of poor practice.
In some situations, PANB does not have the authority to address your concern. For example, PANB cannot address concerns about healthcare providers other than EMT’s & paramedics, and cannot address workplace or labour relations complaints. PANB cannot order financial compensation to patients, complainants or their families, and cannot proceed with a complaint without notifying the EMT(s) or paramedics(s) in question.
Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses
Code of Ethics (The CNNB is still following the Canadian Nurses Association Code of Ethics (2017) until further notice. If you have questions about the Code of Ethics or how to apply it, please contact a nurse consultant at consultation@cnnb-opinb.ca )
Find a Nurse
You can find a list of nurses who are registered to practise nursing in New Brunswick in our online database.
During the complaints process, personal health information about a person who has received care from a nurse may be disclosed. In some cases, a person may make a complaint regarding the care provided to another person, such as a family member or a loved one. In those cases, CNNB will not disclose personal health information about the family member or loved one to the person making the complaint, unless the complainant is authorized to receive such information about that person.
The following table outlines individuals who may be authorized to receive personal health information about another person during the complaints process:
| To receive information about the care provided to: | You must have authority from (or you must be): |
| Another adult who has the capacity to consent | The adult who received care |
| Another adult who does not have the capacity to consent | The legally authorized representative of the adult who received care |
| Deceased person | The Executor or Administrator of the deceased person’s estate (if the disclosure of information is related to the administration of the deceased person’s estate) |
| A child under the age of 18 | Depending on the circumstances, one or all parents/guardians and/or the child |
Mandatory Reporting
As noted above, complaints related to concerns that a nurse practiced inappropriately and/or failed to meet the requirements of the Standards of Practice or the Code of Ethics; concerns that a nurse is unfit, incapable or unsafe to practise nursing; and/or concerns that a nurse is a risk to the public as a result of poor nursing practice; should be reported to CNNB.
Certain conduct must be reported to CNNB:
- Any nurse is obligated to file a complaint with CNNB if they have reason to believe that another nurse is unable to function safely to such an extent that the welfare of patients is jeopardized.
- Any nurse is obligated to file a complaint with CNNB if they have reason to believe that another health professional has sexually abused a patient or client. Nurses who have reason to believe that another health professional has sexually abused a patient, or client must report that person to the applicable governing body within 21 days. Consult the Practice Guideline: Duty to Report and sections 28.1 and 28.2 of the Nurses Act for more information.
- Employers who terminate employment or engagement of a nurse for reasons of incompetence or incapacity are obligated by law to report such termination to CNNB.
Failure by a nurse to report these matters to CNNB is considered professional misconduct.
