Best Making Complaints Count Podcasts (2025)

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Episode seven | Paula Sussex, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman 23:51

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12d ago23:51

23:51

We're joined by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Paula Sussex in our latest episode of Making Complaints Count. Paula speaks to senior caseworker James Glover about her first few months in the role and shares what most excites her about the future.By Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

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Why an ER doctor spoke up — and sued 26:40

11h ago26:40

26:40

B.C. emergency room physician Dr. Kaitlin Stockton took the rare step of suing her regional health authority, alleging her job was threatened after she and other doctors warned patients about unsafe, overcrowded ER conditions. The lawsuit has since been resolved to both sides’ mutual satisfaction. Dr. Stockton hopes her experience will empower heal…

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Desperate measures: Behind Quebec’s unprecedented healthcare reforms 26:42

11d ago26:42

26:42

Quebec family doctors have struck a tentative agreement with the province, but Dr. Marina Lagodich has made up her mind. When the CAQ government rushed through their healthcare overhaul, Bill 2, in late October, it was the last straw. December 17 will be her last day practicing as a Quebec doctor. Across the province, doctors have criticized the bi…

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Testicles outrank ovaries—and other reasons women wait so long for gynecologic surgery 26:43

18d ago26:43

26:43

Ottawa family physician Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth faced a long wait for surgery after post-menopausal bleeding, and has seen her patients endure the same. Dr. Nick Leyland, president-elect of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, explains that gynecologists have limited operating room access, fewer perform surgery, and ovaries are v…

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The air rescue team reinventing first responder support 26:39

25d ago26:39

26:39

Miles Randell, an advanced care paramedic, is trying to do something different for frontline health-care workers who need a supportive work environment. He says years of working as a paramedic in Vancouver led to post-traumatic stress that left him unemployable. And that the help he needed wasn’t there. So he created TEAAM (Technical Evacuation Adv…

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This Vancouver hospital is transforming addiction treatment 26:39

26d ago26:39

26:39

Dr. Paxton Bach has spent years trying to help people navigate a broken system. Inconsistent approaches to withdrawal management, long wait times for detox and recovery programs and a system that struggles to address the social determinants of health have caused too many of his patients to fall through the cracks. So he and a team at St. Paul’s Hos…

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ENCORE: Virtual doctors for real ERs 26:41

1M ago26:41

26:41

Like many of Canada’s rural and remote communities, Mackenzie, B.C.’s hospital struggles to staff the ER. But once a week, a doctor hundreds of kilometres away fills in virtually. Many provinces like B.C. are using virtual care in ERs in an attempt to keep the doors open. But critics are concerned about patient safety and the need to balance virtua…

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How to make a health-care complaint and get results 26:42

1M ago26:42

26:42

When care at a hospital or clinic falls short for you or a loved one, how do you raise concerns that get results? We asked listeners for stories about making complaints in health care and were flooded with them. Dr. Rob Robson, an ER physician, patient safety expert, and health-care mediator, helps us unpack what works and what doesn’t when you wan…

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Diabetes care on wheels 26:39

1M ago26:39

26:39

Until recently, Jeremy Auger’s diabetes was unstable. Then he met endocrinologist Dr. David Campbell and the team with the diabetes mobile clinic in Calgary. The roving clinic brings care directly to people who are homeless or have low incomes. For patients like Jeremy, it’s a lifeline that helps prevent devastating complications.…

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One in three Canadians is obese, and it’s not about willpower 26:42

2M ago26:42

26:42

Obesity has more than tripled in Canada since 1981. In their new book “Food Intelligence,” Canadian co-authors Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall - an award-winning health and science journalist, and a prominent researcher on metabolism in the U.S. - argue that it’s not because of a collective loss of willpower. Instead, they say the foods we buy and eat …

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BONUS: He was censored by the U.S. government. What that means for food research 14:30

2M ago14:30

14:30

More with Kevin Hall! Until recently, Hall was the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s key researcher on the connection between ultra-processed foods and obesity. He took an early retirement due to increasing censorship of his work. He talks about his groundbreaking study with former “The Biggest Loser” contestants, the link between Big Tobacco an…

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A patient complaint that actually led to change 26:38

2M ago26:38

26:38

When his wife died of endometrial cancer, Charles Kinch refused to accept that the care she received was the best she could get. His complaint, at first dismissed, has now sparked major changes in how cancer patients in British Columbia are treated and supported.

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ENCORE: One town's fight to reinstate healthcare 26:45

2M ago26:45

26:45

Like many Canadian small towns, Carberry, MB had become a healthcare desert. In 2023, the small ER closed and the last doctor left. Carberry embarked on the fight of its life to get healthcare back. Just days before the first of two new MDs starts work, Dr. Brian Goldman visits Carberry to learn about the Herculean efforts it takes for one town to …

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Dr. Brian Day wants more private health care 26:39

3M ago26:39

26:39

For three decades, Dr. Brian Day has been at the centre of the debate around private health care in Canada. Despite losing his court battle to bring it to B.C., Day still wants to see more private, for-profit clinics. The orthopedic surgeon and owner of Vancouver's Cambie Surgery Centre says competition from the private sector could push the public…

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Giving mental-health emergency patients a room of their own 26:42

3M ago26:42

26:42

Ottawa’s Montfort hospital sees twice the number of patients for mental health emergencies as the Ontario average. And as this number increased in recent years, the everyday environment of the ER waiting room – chaotic, loud and overstimulating – became an ever larger trigger, causing distressed patients to flee or harm themselves or others. In the…

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The doctor Brampton needs 26:42

3M ago26:42

26:42

Gurleen Kaur Chahal is one of the inaugural students at Toronto Metropolitan University’s new Peel Region medical school, designed to serve the area’s diverse population. She's determined to be part of the solution for the kinds of struggles her multigenerational Punjabi household has faced accessing care.…

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Episode six | Sandy Lewis, Director of the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations Programme 22:40

3M ago22:40

22:40

The theme for this year’s World Patient Safety Day is Safer Care for Every Newborn and Child. In our latest Making Complaints Count episode, we explore what this means for families and the NHS.Sandy Lewis, Director of the Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations Programme (MNSI), joins Policy and Public Affairs Officer Roshana Amiri on the lates…

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The human face of 'AI psychosis' 26:44

3M ago26:44

26:44

After a seemingly innocuous question about pi, Allan Brooks tumbled down a ChatGPT rabbit hole. Three weeks later, he emerged, after spending 300 hours in a spiralling 7,000-prompt exchange with the chatbot. Dr. Keith Sakata, the psychiatrist whose viral thread on X breaks down the phenomenon known as “AI psychosis,” says the built-in sycophancy of…

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Public pain, private care: Why one woman is paying to walk again 26:39

4M ago26:39

26:39

How much would you be willing (and able) to pay to get your knee or hip replaced? Calgarian Linda Slater's knee pain became unbearable during her two-year wait to see an orthopedic surgeon. She drained her retirement savings to pay $30,000 for a new knee at a private Toronto clinic. Dr. Rick Zarnett, an orthopedic surgeon who works out of both a pr…

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ENCORE: What do “Ask your doctor” ads accomplish? 26:40

4M ago26:40

26:40

Companies are spending big bucks advertising weight-loss drugs like Rybelsus, seeing huge potential in capitalizing on the popularity of Ozempic. But in Canada, so-called "reminder ads" can give only the name of the medication, not what it's for, telling people to ask their doctor for details. Ad man Terry O’Reilly says it can result in bad ads tha…

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ENCORE: The battle rapper who battled colon cancer 26:42

4M ago26:42

26:42

As a rapper, Bishop Brigante was no stranger to on-stage battles. We met up with the then-45-year-old when he was battling Stage 4 colon cancer, which he said was caught too late. Bishop wanted Canadians to have easier access to colonoscopies and said advocacy had given him newfound purpose.

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ENCORE: Sex medicine doctors are putting women’s health, and pleasure, first 26:41

4M ago26:41

26:41

Many women report difficulties with orgasms, low libido or pain around intercourse. And given that many have never even learned much about their genitals, they don’t always know where to get help. A cadre of Canadian doctors specializing in women’s sexual health is trying to change that. They’re helping patients boost pleasure, while empowering the…

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ENCORE: The family doctor recruiting game 26:46

5M ago26:46

26:46

Attracting a family doctor to work in a community is challenging, with fewer physicians choosing family medicine. That's why Cheryl Gnyp, the recruiter for Castlegar, B.C., needs to stand out. She uses the board game Operation and specialized coffee as part of her 10-minute sales pitch to potential recruits at conferences. It can take years before …

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ENCORE: The kidney transplant waiting game 26:41

5M ago26:41

26:41

Judith Morrison needs a kidney. While she's on dialysis, her sister Catherine is putting out a public plea for a living donor. But the search has been hard. And if they do find a donor, the sisters say that person will have to go through a long and opaque testing process. A process that experts say needs to be improved across Canada because the dem…

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ENCORE: Nursing as occupational hazard 26:44

5M ago26:44

26:44

One morning as she arrived for her hospital shift, Winnipeg nurse Jennifer Noone was assaulted outside the staff entrance, leaving her with a bad concussion and PTSD. Rather than stay silent, she took the unusual step of having her assailant charged with assault. Manitoba Nurses Union President Darlene Jackson says there needs to be more and better…

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ENCORE: The Unshakeable MD 26:43

5M ago26:43

26:43

At 28 years old, Dr. Soania Mathur was building her medical practice and expecting her first child. Then, she was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease. She tried to ignore her diagnosis for a decade, but as the symptoms progressed, she had to close her practice. Now, the self-described "Unshakeable MD" uses her experience as both a patien…

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ENCORE: Hot as hell 26:42

6M ago26:42

26:42

How far would you go to test your body in extreme heat? Ironworker apprentice Britnee Miazek travels hundreds of kilometres to Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario for a gruelling experiment to see how her body deals with high temperatures. She wants to find out why she stopped getting her period while working in sweltering conditions on a c…

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Episode five | Complaint Standards 32:52

6M ago32:52

32:52

This week, we're joined by Paul from DEFRA, Gemma from University Hospital Birmingham and Tina from Natural England to discuss the Complaint Standards. The Complaint Standards set out how NHS and UK central government organisations should approach complaint handling in a clear and consistent way. They help organisations to:- deliver everyday good c…

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ENCORE: The toll of cannabis-induced psychosis 26:43

6M ago26:43

26:43

When Kalpit Sharma started smoking high-THC weed several times a day, he thought he was just “living his life” as a university student. But then, he started hearing voices. Researcher Dr. Daniel Myran shares the science behind stories like Kalpit’s – and why young men are particularly at risk for concerning mental health outcomes.…

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ENCORE: The Senator's Singer 26:41

6M ago26:41

26:41

We're replaying this episode in honour of National Indigenous History Month. Former senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Murray Sinclair spent the last months of his life at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. He found comfort in the music of Quinton Poitras, a Métis musician with Artists in Healthcare Manitoba who played his…

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As Dr. Theresa Tam steps down, she urges Canada to stand strong on public health 32:47

6M ago32:47

32:47

Dr. Theresa Tam steps down this week after eight years as Canada’s chief public health officer. Best known for leading the COVID-19 public health response, Tam tells Dr. Brian Goldman in a sit-down interview that Canada urgently needs a national vaccine registry to better manage outbreaks like measles, and must do more to support science and fight …

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Dr. Eric Topol on the science of longevity when science is in peril 26:42

6M ago26:42

26:42

Cardiologist, scientist and bestselling author Dr. Eric Topol's new book "Super Agers" distills decades of research on how to make us healthier for longer. Topol says that humanity is on the cusp of developing treatments to help tame cancer, dementia and other chronic diseases… just as political forces in the U.S. are shutting down that research.…

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Alberta's measles problem 26:39

7M ago26:39

26:39

Alberta is dealing with almost 800 cases of measles, the most in nearly forty years. Dr. Mark Joffe is an infectious disease physician who recently served as Alberta's chief medical officer of health (CMOH). He says there’s a huge need to get the message out that the vaccine is safe and will protect people. Dr. James Talbot, an adjunct professor at…

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Family doctor who quit teaches the next gen how to stay 26:42

7M ago26:42

26:42

After 25+ years as a family physician, Dr. Fan-Wah Mang closed her practice because she burned out. Now, she’s at Humber River Hospital in Toronto, teaching the next generation of family doctors how to avoid the pitfalls that made her leave. Two of the residents know what they’ll need to be a family physician long term, and it may surprise you.…

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Waiting 84 weeks and counting for a new knee 26:39

7M ago26:39

26:39

Thousands of Canadians are in line for a joint replacement surgery. Tracey Knowlton is one of them, waiting over 84 weeks for a knee replacement. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Kwan says long waits are an ongoing, system-wide problem. Health-care policy experts like Tom McIntosh say we know how to make it better and faster for patients, but provinc…

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ENCORE: The early bird gets the derm 26:40

7M ago26:40

26:40

A crowd lines up every weekday at a unique walk-in dermatology clinic in Toronto. People have conditions ranging from severe rashes to potentially cancerous moles, and can’t wait months for an appointment with a skin doctor. Dr. Davindra Singh, who runs the clinic, calls it a dermatology crisis.

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The treatment centre that grief built, part 2 26:43

8M ago26:43

26:43

At the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre for men in Winnipeg, over 90% of the staff are in recovery from substance abuse themselves. Staffers like Terrence Morrin use "lived expertise" to create a circle of recovery. He first came to the centre as a participant two years ago, after detoxing on the floor of a prison cell. Today, he's helping other guys lik…

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The treatment centre that grief built, part 1 26:41

8M ago26:41

26:41

When sportscaster Scott Oake isn't rinkside at NHL games, he's often hanging out at a substance abuse treatment centre in Winnipeg. He's there to be close to his late son. An urn with Bruce's ashes greets everyone who walks through the doors of Bruce Oake Recovery Centre. In the first of a two-part series, Dr. Brian Goldman visits the centre to mee…

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What will the federal parties do for health care? 31:39

8M ago31:39

31:39

With election day just around the corner, we know Canadians have questions about health care and how the next federal government can help make it better. That's why we asked candidates from the five major parties about three priority issues: how they would ensure every Canadian has a family doctor or nurse practitioner, what they would do to make i…

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Episode four | Lisa Cowley, CEO at Beacon Vision 31:19

8M ago31:19

31:19

In the latest episode of Making Complaints count, our Outreach and Engagement Officer Alison Smith is joined by Lisa Cowley, CEO of sight loss charity Beacon Vision. Lisa attended one of our Complaint Champions workshops that support organisations with the tools they need to help people that use their service to navigate the complaint process. They…

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How is the federal government responsible for health care? 26:43

8M ago26:43

26:43

Much of the federal election campaign’s focus has been on the U.S. But health care is always on the minds of Canadians. So what are the federal government’s responsibilities when it comes to health care—especially when six and a half million Canadians don't have a primary care provider? Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, a McGill professor and Canada Research …

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Public healthcare is a national crisis. So why isn't it an election priority? 26:45

9M ago26:45

26:45

The federal election campaign so far has been dominated by curveballs from the U.S. But meanwhile, the state of public healthcare in Canada remains dire. We look at what our listeners have to say about the creep of a two-tier healthcare system, and check in with health law expert Colleen Flood about how Canadians should demand healthcare reform no …

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$150 for 15 minutes, part 2 26:41

9M ago26:41

26:41

More Quebeckers are paying to see a family doc for services that should be covered publicly. Dr. Martin Potter explains why he founded Clinique Santé Plus after 20 years in the public system. But Dr. Bernard Ho of Canadian Doctors for Medicare says Quebec may be a bellwether for the rest of Canada, and private-pay family medicine puts the public sy…

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$150 for 15 minutes, part 1 26:43

9M ago26:43

26:43

In Quebec, family medicine is the latest troubling frontier in a two-tier system that's been quietly growing for years. Dr. Brian Goldman visits Clinique Santé Plus in Vaudreuil to learn why the clinic's youngest doctor turned away from the public system. Two patients - one languishing on a waitlist for a family doctor, and one who can never reach …

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A life or death 40-hour wait in the ER 26:42

9M ago26:42

26:42

Christina Shehata waited 40 hours in an Ontario hospital ER to get an inpatient bed. It’s a common reality in hospitals across Canada. What makes Christina's story different is that her husband, Dr. Adam Shehata, was keenly aware that she could have died. While the hospital did the best it could, Christina says without the aid of a physician spouse…

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BONUS: The Dose: What do I need to know right now about measles? 22:40

9M ago22:40

22:40

Measles is on the rise, highlighting how a disease considered eliminated in Canada is making a comeback. Recent dramatic outbreaks are worrying people like infectious diseases specialist Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti. He explains why more people are getting measles, how it spreads, the symptoms and the long-term complications. He says getting vaccinated pr…

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Measles in Canada: Where we're at and how we got here 26:44

9M ago26:44

26:44

We're seeing the worst measles numbers in Canada in more than a decade. Dr. Ninh Tran, medical officer of health in the country's hardest hit region of southwestern Ontario, describes how they're fighting to control the spread. And University of Alberta infectious diseases specialist Dr. Lynora Saxinger reflects on the "undead zombie of disinformat…

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Meet the people who help sedate you 26:41

9M ago26:41

26:41

A shortage of anesthesiologists in Canada often means postponed operations and procedures. But some hospitals are using anesthesia assistants (AAs) to get more patients into surgeries and routine procedures needing sedation. Dr. Brian Goldman observes AA Rob Bryan during a colonoscopy at an Ontario hospital to find out what he does. And Nova Scotia…

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Saving elderly patients from the hazards of the ER 26:47

9M ago26:47

26:47

It may seem counterintuitive, but hospital emergency rooms can be hazardous to the health of elderly patients. An innovative geriatric multidisciplinary ER team at St. Mary's Hospital in Montreal is getting elderly patients discharged quickly and safely, saving them from preventable harms and the hospital millions in preventable admissions.…

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A career, three young kids, and colorectal cancer 26:41

10M ago26:41

26:41

A growing number of young people in Canada are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and their needs often differ from older patients. Melissa Groff was diagnosed at age 34, with three small kids, in the prime of her career. She says she would have benefitted from more age-appropriate care. Sunnybrook's Young Adult Colorectal Cancer Clinic o…