Policy

Niagara Health Foundation (“NHF”) is committed to carrying out its mission to support the Niagara Health System (“NHS”) in providing quality, caring healthcare to the patients it serves. Every gift is important to us regardless of size.

As a registered Canadian charity committed to high standards and service excellence, NHF believes that any External Stakeholder has the right to raise a Complaint, have that Complaint acknowledged and have said Complaint followed-up in a timely, fair and respectful manner.

Scope

This policy applies only to external Complaints received by NHF about our activities (programs and services), a staff member, a NHF Board of Directors’ (“Board”) member and/or a volunteer.

Policy

1.0 Definitions

1.1 External Stakeholder

Anyone from outside of NHF who could be, but not limited to, a donor, recipient of NHF marketing and communications, supplier, volunteer, event participant, partner or sponsor.

1.2 Complaint

An expression of dissatisfaction about the activities, actions or lack of action by NHF as an organization or by a staff member, Board member or volunteer acting on behalf of NHF.

Examples include but are not limited to:

• Perceived failure to do something that has been agreed upon;
• Failure to observe a policy or procedure;
• An error made by a staff member, Board member or volunteer; and
• Unfair or discourteous actions or statements by a staff member, Board member or volunteer.

Anyone personally affected in such a matter is entitled to register a Complaint, and it shall be dealt with in accordance with this policy.

2.0 Principles

1. We value all donors and those who make a Complaint, as we view this as an opportunity to refine and improve our procedures.
2. Privacy is respected.
3. Complaints will be dealt with promptly and sensitively by an appropriate staff member.

3.0 Practice

3.1 Registering a Complaint

1. Many issues can be resolved easily and quickly, often at the time they arise, by contacting NHF at
   905-323-3863.
2. If the issue(s) cannot be resolved satisfactorily, a formal Complaint can be made by submitting a statement of facts (a detailed description covering the what, when, who, how, where and why) to the Chief Privacy Officer (“CPO”) either by:
   1. Email: foundation@niagarahealth.on.ca
   2. Mail:
      Niagara Health Foundation
      Attention: Chief Privacy Officer
      1200 Fourth Avenue
      St. Catharines, ON L2S 0A2
      
3. NHF will acknowledge the receipt of a formal Complaint within five (5) business days.
4. A submitted formal Complaint will be handled by the CPO; however, NHF’s President & CEO (“CEO”) has the discretion to assign the handling of said Complaint to another staff member or Board member.
5. In those cases where the assigned staff member or Board member cannot satisfactorily resolve the Complaint, it will be escalated to the CEO.
6. If the Complaint is about the CEO, the Board Chair and/or the executive committee will be notified; however, the CEO reserves the right to appoint an external third party to investigate said Complaint.
7. NHF will investigate the Complaint and may seek further information from any employee, Board member, volunteer, vendor or other stakeholder, as appropriate. The actions taken by NHF with respect to a particular allegation will depend on the nature of the reported violation.
8. Each case is unique, but NHF will handle any allegation reported pursuant to this policy respectfully and with discretion. If the facts warrant, NHF will take corrective action and/or disciplinary action, as necessary.
9. Although a complainant is not expected to prove the truth of an allegation, they should be able to demonstrate they have made a report in good faith.
10. Complainants will be kept informed of the status of their Complaint. Every attempt will be made to resolve a formal Complaint within an additional 20 business days so that the Complaint will be resolved within one (1) month of having been received. NHF will respond to the complainant as soon as possible after the matter has been investigated, findings reviewed and a recommendation submitted.

3.2 Anonymous Allegations

1. Thorough investigation often depends on an ability to gather additional information. NHF encourages a complainant to identify themselves when registering a Complaint. However, NHF will explore an anonymous Complaint to the extent possible, but will weigh the prudence of continuing an investigation against the likelihood of confirming the alleged facts or circumstances from attributable sources.

3.3 Continuous Improvement

1. NHF will track Complaints received, and the tracked data will be reviewed periodically to identify any significant trends. Significant trends will be analyzed to determine root cause(s) and will be promptly addressed to mitigate any future risk.

3.4 Report to the Board

1. NHF will submit to the Board, on an annual basis, an External Complaints Report, which shall include, at minimum, the number of Complaints in the reporting period, type of Complaint (informal/formal) and the disposition of the Complaints received.
2. To ensure Complaints are kept to a minimum, NHF adheres to strict ethical practices in all of its fundraising activities.
3. If a serious Complaint cannot be reasonably addressed by the appropriate level of staff member outlined in Appendix A (Complaint Resolution Hierarchy), it will be forwarded to the CEO for resolution and, if necessary, to the Board Chair.
4. All requests for donor anonymity will be respected to the extent possible in order to effectively review and resolve the Complaint.
5. All Complaints directed to NHF will be acted upon immediately. They will be documented and monitored by the supervisor of the staff member assigned to address the Complaint.
6. Normally, all Complaints will be brought to the attention of the CEO and will be addressed by the most appropriate person possible.
7. NHF’s designated CPO will act upon all Complaints related to privacy.
8. An annual report on Complaints will be prepared and presented to the Senior Management Team and the Board’s Governance & Board Affairs Committee to review and take corrective action. Should no Complaints occur during the year, the annual report will be submitted to the Board, indicating that there were no Complaints to report.