News Release
(Yellowknife - February 27, 2024) – The Office of Client Experience (OCE), located with the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) but serving residents in all Northwest Territories (NWT) communities and regions, is celebrating one-year of assisting NWT residents and guests who have questions or concerns when accessing care or services from the NWT’s health and social services system.
Over the last year, staff with the OCE have met with over 800 clients to provide system navigation and client advocacy, to hear residents feedback, to engage in meaningful conversation and dialogue to ensure residents feel heard, and to help individuals resolve their concerns.
When launched in 2023, the OCE and Senior Indigenous Patient Advocates who work within this office were developed to:
- Ensure patients receive culturally safe and equitable care to help deal with the impact of illness and hospitalization.
- Increase access to and/or provide cultural, spiritual, and emotional support.
- Help make connections with family members, elders, and community organizations.
- Provide support and solutions for Indigenous residents and their families when accessing services in the territories acute care centres.
- Advocate for clients and families.
- Provide system navigation.
A focus of the team during their first year in operation has been the promotion of the OCE and ensuring communities and NWT residents are aware of the services offered through the client navigators and patient advocates. The team has visited and met with community members in all regions of the NWT, and key partners and stakeholder of the NWT HSS System.
If you have complaints, compliments or feedback about the care you or a or loved one has received in the Northwest Territories health and social services system, or need help navigating the system, you can email HSS_Clientexperience@gov.nt.ca or call 1-855- 846- 9601 during regular business hours. For more information, you can also visit www.nthssa.ca/en/services/office-client-experience.
Quote(s):
"I am proud of the work the Office of Client Experience has accomplished this past year. Supported by the team’s advocacy efforts and input into the system, the NTHSSA continues to look for ways to include client and patient feedback in our improvement efforts, for the benefit of our staff and residents.”
- Kim Riles, Chief Executive Office, NTHSSA
“The unique thing about the Office of Client Experience is that we work with the NTHSSA but work on behalf of our clients. The accessibility to decision makers and program experts within the organization allows our team to quickly find the answers and work to inform system changes to better support our clients, and all NWT residents. It’s a rewarding position, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve in this next year”.
- Fraser Lennie, Director of Quality, Risk and Client Experience, NTHSSA
Quick Facts:
- Indigenous peoples in the NWT experience significant health disparities compared to non-Indigenous residents. Health disparities are complicated or made worse when Indigenous peoples do not access care because of barriers like systemic racism.
- The Office of Client Experience Program was designed specifically to meet the needs of Indigenous residents, in a culturally safer and respectful manner, and aims to advance the goals of the NWT Cultural Safety Action Plan.
- Indigenous Patient Advocates are in place to support Indigenous residents, in the NWT’s Acute Care Facilities and in the regions and to provide navigation, information, advocacy and connections to culture and language supports as required.
- A centralized intake process is initiated by phone or email. Clients and family members can be referred or self-refer. Based on the nature of the call you clients will be referred to either a Client Experience Liaison, Senior Indigenous Patient Advocate, or the System Navigator for service.
For media inquiries, please contact:
NTHSSA Communications