What If I Have a Concern or Complaint?

The Saskatchewan College of Physical Therapists (SCPT) is a self-regulating professional body. Our purpose is to protect the public through the licensing, regulation and discipline of physical therapists (also known as physiotherapists) in the province of Saskatchewan.

In order to maintain a license in this province, each physical therapist must follow standards of practice and conduct established by the College. SCPT derives its mandate from The Physical Therapists Act 1998 in the province of Saskatchewan.

You have the right to expect competent and professional care from your physical therapist. 

If you are concerned about the treatment you have received, talk to your physical therapist, his or her supervisor or the clinic owner.

If you are not satisfied, contact the Saskatchewan College of Physical Therapists (SCPT) and tell them your concerns at (306) 931-6667 or 1-877-967-7278. Often someone from SCPT can solve the problem by talking to you, to your therapist or to both of you.

All complaints are strictly confidential.

The Saskatchewan College of Physical Therapists does not represent Physical Therapists. We represent You - the Public. 

If you are still not satisfied you may choose to fill out a written complaint form, asking the SCPT to examine the professional practice or conduct of the physical therapist to ensure public safety. The Saskatchewan College of Physical Therapists is required by law to investigate all signed, written complaints. All complaints are strictly confidential.

You will receive forms to fill out and will be asked to sign a release form allowing SCPT to access your clinical treatment file that is kept by the Therapist.

The Complaint will then be forwarded to the Professional Conduct Committee.  Due to a variety of factors, the investigation period usually takes several months to complete and sometimes longer if there are complicating factors associated with collecting the facts of the matter.  The SCPT provides regular updates to complainants and physical therapists during the investigation.

Although the complaints investigation committee seeks to resolve conflicts between patients and physical therapists to the satisfaction of all parties involved, the purpose of the complaints resolution process is to reduce the risk of recurrent physical therapist conduct that prompted the initial complaint.

The College cannot award financial compensation. 

When you submit a complaint to the SCPT, and it has been confirmed that the individual named in the complaint is a member of the SCPT (a licensed physical therapist), you will receive a communication from the Executive Director & Registrar (EDR) to inform you that the complaint has been received and to explain the complaints management process to you.

Your complaint is then forwarded onto the Professional Conduct Committee, who performs the investigation stage of the complaint. A letter will be immediately sent to both you and the physical therapist who was named in the complaint, informing you both that a complaint has been received. The physical therapist then has 30 days to submit a written response to the complaint, along with any associated documentation (i.e. your physical therapy chart). Once the Professional Conduct Committee receives this response and documentation from the physical therapist, the investigation can begin.

The Professional Conduct Committee will assign 1-2 investigators to the case. These investigators will then review all of the documentation submitted, contact both you and the physical therapist (separately) to conduct interviews to allow for further information collection and then request any further documentation they require to determine the facts of the case. The investigators will then take all of the information back to the full committee, with legal representation present for consultation as needed, to determine whether the conduct in the complaint could constitute Professional Incompetence or Professional Misconduct.

The Professional Conduct Committee meets every 4-6 weeks, as such, this process can take several months.

If the Professional Conduct Committee determines that the conduct included in the complaint has the potential to meet at least one of the definitions above, they can either attempt to remediate the conduct with a Resolution by Mutual Consent. You, as the complainant, must agree to this method of settlement, but do not get to provide input as to what the Resolution requires of the physical therapist. The Resolution is developed by the Professional Conduct Committee and the physical therapist must agree to the Resolution in order for this method of remediation to be used. If the physical therapist and/or the complainant do not agree to settle with a Resolution by Mutual Consent, then the case will be referred to the Discipline Committee for a hearing.

If referred to the Discipline Committee, the proceeding will take an additional couple of months because there is a time period allowed for the legal counsel of each party to discuss agreed to facts of the case prior to a hearing being booked.

Throughout this process, you can expect to be contacted by the EDR approximately once a month to keep you informed to the progress of your case.

Please refer to the full Complaints Management Process document should you require further information about the process or the timelines associated with the process.

Relevant Resources

• The Physical Therapy Act
• SCPT Regulatory Bylaws
• Code of Ethical Conduct
• Standards of Practice for Physical Therapists in Saskatchewan
  

Complaint Forms and Documents

• MS Word Format (fill & print)
• PDF Format (print only)
• Complaints Management Process