Current patient safety organizations in Canada

Federal, provincial and territorial governments, health care stakeholders, as well as providers and institutions have long considered the safety of patients in the Canadian health care system a priority issue. All of these groups are involved in a range of activities related to the safety and quality of care.

The following provides only a small selection of the vast array of innovative strategies that governments and stakeholders are using to improve the safety of patients in Canada.

Healthcare Excellence Canada

Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) works with partners to spread innovation, build capability and catalyze policy change so that everyone in Canada has safe and high-quality healthcare. Through collaboration with patients, caregivers and people working in healthcare, HEC turns proven innovations into lasting improvements in all dimensions of healthcare excellence. Launched in 2021, HEC brings together the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement.

British Columbia Patient Safety and Quality Council (BCPSQC)

The British Columbia Patient Safety and Quality Council (BCPSQC) provides system-wide leadership that brings a provincial perspective to patient safety and quality improvement activities in British Columbia. Through collaborative partnerships with health authorities and other health care providers, BCPSQC promotes and informs a provincially coordinated, patient-centred approach to patient safety and quality improvement. BCPSQC also provides advice to the Minister of Health Services on issues of patient safety and quality of care.

Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA)

The Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA) is an arm's length organization with a mandate to report directly to Albertans on the quality, safety and performance of health services and the health system. The HQCA collaborate with stakeholders such as regional health authorities, professionals and policy makers to identify best practices, and review the following dimensions of health care quality: access, acceptability, appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency and patient safety.

Saskatchewan Health Quality Council (HQC)

The Saskatchewan Health Quality Council (HQC) is an independent agency that will report on and recommend innovative ways to improve quality within Saskatchewan's health system. Led by an appointed panel of provincial, national, and international health leaders, the HQC provides advice to government, regional health authorities, and health care professionals on a wide range of issues related to health system quality and performance.

Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety (MIPS)

The Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety (MIPS) was created in 2004 by the provincial government in response to recommendations made by the Manitoba Patient Safety Steering Committee. The Institute promotes, coordinates and facilitates activities that have a positive impact on patient safety throughout Manitoba while enhancing the quality of health care for Manitobans.

Health Quality Ontario (HQO)

Health Quality Ontario (HQO) is an independent agency funded by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. HQO reports directly to Ontarians on access to publicly funded health services, health human resources in publicly funded health services, consumer and population health status, and health system outcomes. HQO also collaborates with stakeholders such as health care professionals, consumer groups and policy makers to support continuous quality improvements in the health care system.

Québec Health and Welfare Commissioner

The mission of the Health and Welfare Commissioner is to provide perspective for public debate and governmental decision-making that will contribute to enhancing the health and welfare of women and men in Québec. The Commissioner appraises the results achieved by the health and social services system. He evaluates all facets of the system, with particular emphasis on factors such as quality, accessibility, continuity and funding of services. His mandate includes the various factors that affect health and welfare as well as questions raised by medication and technology.

New Brunswick Health Council

The New Brunswick Health Council is a Part 3 public body created by the Government of New Brunswick to promote and improve health system performance. It has a two-part mandate. The first is to engage citizens in ongoing dialogue about important health system performance issues in order to provide recommendations to the Minister of Health and to bring the citizen/patient experience back to service providers and policy makers in a way that is objective, scientific and as useful as possible. The second involves measuring, monitoring and reporting on health system performance to both the public and the health system partners.