Mandate

CPTNB’s mandate, first and foremost, is to protect the public interest. The public places trust in health-care

Organizational Structure

Council members are composed of registered Physiotherapists from all geographic regions of

Complaints and Concerns

Physiotherapists are expected to comply with all professional obligations including Standards of Practice

Mandate
CPTNB’s mandate, first and foremost, is to protect the public interest. The public places trust in health-care providers, and patients and families expect safe and effective quality care. We share those expectations and work to ensure the right systems and processes are in place to support quality physiotherapy service delivery.

We do this by:
 Setting and enforcing practice and professional standards
 Registering only qualified and competent physiotherapists
 Administering a continuing competence program
 Investigating public and patient concerns
 Promoting and advocating excellence in physiotherapy and patient care
 Supporting member understanding of, and adherence to their regulatory responsibilities

Our authority is derived from the Physiotherapy Act and Regulations (An Act Respecting the College of Physiotherapy of New Brunswick; Assented to March 26, 2010, Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick).

Organizational Structure

Council
Members are composed of registered Physiotherapists from all geographic regions of the province and up to two Public Representatives, approved by the Minister of Health.

Standing Committees
Registration
Professional Competence
Complaints
Discipline

CPTNB is also a member partner in the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) whose mandate includes receiving applications from Internationally Educated Physiotherapists, assessing their credentials for equivalency to Canadian requirements, and administering the Physiotherapy Competency Examination for both Canadian-Educated and Internationally-Educated Physiotherapists. www.alliancept.org

Complaints and Concerns
Physiotherapists are expected to comply with all professional obligations including Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics but complaints can arise.

Complaint Process
CPTNB investigates complaints about its members. We do this to protect the public and help assure the delivery of quality and competent physiotherapy. All complaints are taken seriously and each is considered an opportunity to improve member knowledge and physiotherapy service delivery. While we have the authority to investigate concerns and discipline members, financial compensation for negligence is a matter determined in civil court and we cannot direct a physiotherapist to provide financial compensation. Please seek legal advice if financial compensation is a concern.

All complaints are confidential and reviewed in the order they are received. Our process is designed to ensure fairness to both the complainant and physiotherapist.

What to do if you have a concern or complaint about your physiotherapist
If you have a concern or complaint about your physiotherapist that can’t be resolved by talking to them or their supervisor directly, contact CPTNB’s Registrar.

You may also file a complaint – in WRITING and if SIGNED. Anonymous complaints cannot be considered.
To initiate the complaint process use the fillable complaint reporting form and send by mail, fax or email.

Fillable Complaint Reporting Form

OR
Submit your own written complaint, by mail, fax or email.
All written complaints must include:
 Contact details (name, address, day time telephone number, email address)
 Physiotherapist’s name
 Incident date, time and location
 Specific details and all pertinent supporting information
 Your signature
After receiving your written complaint, we may do any/all of the following:
 Provide the physiotherapist in question with a copy of your complaint and request their response (usually within 30 days)
 Contact other individuals and institutions who may have relevant information and may provide one or more of these parties with a copy of your complaint
 Gather and review information through:
o interviews with you, the physiotherapist, other relevant parties
o review of your patient chart (clinical and financial records)
 Provide a written decision to you and the physiotherapist after the review
​We will keep in contact with you through the process but a formal decision can take several months or longer, depending on the complexity and severity of the complaint.