Ontario’s patient ombudsman may be no more after speculation at Queen’s Park that Premier Doug Ford does not intend to fill the vacancy. The patient ombudsman is in charge of ensuring the voices of patients and caregivers at hospitals and long-term care homes are heard. The role was previously filled by Christine Elliott, who left in February to run for the leadership of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party and later became health minister. RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun says the position should not be eliminated. “The public needs to have a point-of-contact to speak about health system experiences and improvements. We have a lot to learn from the public and, at the end of the day, they are recipients of the care,” Grinspun says. The public has increasingly been using the office since it opened in 2016. In its first year it received 2,000 complaints. In 2017, that number went up to 2,300. Between July and October 2018, the patient ombudsman has taken 850 complaints, a higher monthly average than the year before. If the position is not filled “a voice will be lost – the voice of the public,” says Grinspun. With the top job vacant, the office still has 17 staff, including early resolution specialists, investigators, and other administrative staff. (CBC News, Dec. 4)