Felix complained to our office about the care he received when he was admitted to the Royal Jubilee Hospital.

As part of our investigation into Felix’s complaint, we visited the Psychiatric Emergency Services Unit at the Royal Jubilee Hospital to speak with staff. During our visit, we noticed there were cameras in seclusion units pointing directly at the patients’ toilet. We questioned whether this was reasonable as the camera angle could be an intrusion on a patient’s privacy and dignity.

In response, Island Health advised us that the cameras were installed for security measures to reduce the risk of patient self-harm and that staff were instructed to respect patients’ privacy as long as it was practical to do so. We consulted with Island Health to explore other viable and less intrusive options and asked them to install blur strips on all cameras to respect the privacy of patients in seclusion units. Island Health agreed.