General information
Pre-hospital emergency services are regulated by the Act respecting pre-hospital emergency services. The objective of pre-hospital emergency services is to ensure that persons in need may at all times obtain an appropriate, efficient and quality response aimed at reducing the mortality and morbidity rate among the recipients of pre-hospital emergency services, according to recognized quality standards.
The Act establishes a framework for the organization of pre-hospital emergency services and fosters their integration into and harmonization with all other health and social services. It also identifies the services to be put in place and the various players, and defines their rights, roles and responsibilities.
Organisation of pre-hospital emergency services in the Montérégie
Covering an area of 11,074 sq. km, with a population of close to 1,500,000 people, the Montérégie is served by ambulance vehicles strategically placed to respond to emergency calls from the population and the health care network. Pre-hospital resources used to responding to these calls are paramedical ambulance technicians and first respondents.
The Centre de communication santé (CCS) is a secondary call centre which receives calls from a primary emergency centre (9-1-1) requesting the intervention of pre-hospital emergency services (ambulance). The CCS treats and prioritizes the calls according to protocols approved by the Ministre de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS). It assigns and distributes the pre-hospital resources available in an appropriate, effective and efficient manner
To ensure skills are maintained, pre-hospital resources receive training each year according to clinical intervention protocols prepared by the MSSS. Also, all interventions involving medical acts are subject to a supervisory framework and continuous quality improvement procedure. For more information on pre-hospital emergency services and payment exceptions, as well as call priorities, go to: https://www.prehospitalierquebec.ca/.
How can I file a complaint?
If you are dissatisfied with the service you received, you can file a complaint with the Comissaire aux plaintes et à la qualité des services of the CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre. You can make your complaint verbally or in writing. The Commissioner has 45 days to respond to you. If you do not receive a response within this time or if you are dissatisfied with the response you received, you can take your complaint to the next level: the Québec Ombudsman.
Community paramedicine
Please visit the CISSS de la Montérégie-Centre's page