Toronto seeks posted inspection results in health clinics
City council votes to ask the College of Physicians and Surgeons to create something like the DineSafe postings in restaurants.
By: Diana Zlomislic News reporter, Published on Thu Feb 21 2013
Health clinics in Toronto will be forced to post a copy of inspection results in their offices if city council gets its way.
Councillors voted 37-6 Thursday on a motion to “formally request” the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario make its inspection data public.
Leading the successful motion, Councillor Anthony Perruzza wants to see a “first alert” notice — similar to the DineSafe program — tacked up on the walls of clinics that tells patients whether a facility has passed, failed or conditionally passed its most recent inspection.
Unqualified staff, inadequate equipment or insufficient quantities of critical medication are some factors that might result in an inspection failure or a conditional pass.
Mayor Rob Ford was among the motion’s six dissenters. He argued that the issue falls outside council’s jurisdiction. City clerk staff disagreed and the vote proceeded.
Following a series of Toronto Star reports about the secrecy around inspection data, the college passed a bylaw last month making it possible to publish the names of the clinics and make their results available online. Patients may also call the college to ask about a clinic’s inspection data.
But Perruzza has been urging even greater transparency, suggesting a standardized, easy-to-recognize posting at the clinics would be a good start.
College spokeswoman Prithi Yelaja said the motion will be considered when it’s received by the college committee that oversees the inspection program.
Perruzza said the college should receive notice of the council’s request within a week.http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/02/21/toronto_seeks_posted_inspection_results_in_health_clinics.html
