1972 Bill 66 First Session, 17th Legislature, 21 Elizabeth II THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ALBERTA BILL 66 The Hospital Visitors Committee Act DR. MCCRIMMON First Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second Reading ............................. . Third Reading .......................... . Printed by L. S. Wall, Queen's Printer, Edmonton

BILL 66 1972 THE HOSPITAL VISITORS COMMITTEE ACT (Assented to ,1972) HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assemibly of A lherta , enacts as follows: 1. In this Act (a) "Committee" means the Alberta Hospital Visitors Committee; (b) "Department" means the Department of Health and Social Development; (c) "hospital" means (

i) an approved hospital under The Alberta Hos­ pitals Act, or (ii) a hospital, institution or other facility, or any part thereof, designated by the Lieutenant Governor in Council under The Mental Health Act as a hospital for the purpose of that Act, or (iii) any other hospital, institution or other facility for the treatment and care of persons that is owned and operated by the Government of Al­ berta or by The Alberta Hospital Services Commission; (d) "Minister" :means the Minister of Health and So­ cial Development. 2.

(1) There is hereby established a committee called the "Alberta Hospital Visitors Committee" consisting of not more than 12 members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.

(2) The members of the Committee appointed under subsection (1) may include members of the Legislative Assembly who are not members of the Executive Council.

(3) An order under subsection (1) appointing a mem­ ber ?f the Committee may provide for his term of off~ce but In the abs~nce of such a provision, the term of offI~e of a. member IS one year from the effective date of hIS appolutment and thereafter until his successor is appointed.

Explanatory Notes I. lDefinitions. 2. Establishment of Alberta Hospital Visitors Committee.

(4) The Lieutenant Governor in Council shall designate one of the members of the Committee as chairman and an­ other as a vice-chainnan and, unless the order otherwise provides, the term of office of a chairman or vice-chairman so designated shall be one year from the effective date of the designation and until their respective successors are thereafter designated. ( 5 ) The vice-chairman shall be the acting chairman of the Committee in the event of the absence or inability to act of the chairman or a vacancy in the office of chairman. 3.

(1) The Lieutenant Governor in Council (

a) may prescribe the rates of remuneration payable to members of the Committee other than those who are members of the Legislative Assembly, employ­ ees of the Governnlent or members or employees of an agency of the Government, and (

b) may authorize the payment of travelling and living expenses for members of the Committee while out­ side their normal place of residence in the course of performing their duties.

(2) The receipt by a member of the Legislative Assembly of any expenses pursuant to an order under subsection (1), clause (

b) does not operate to make that person ineligible to be a member of the Assembly or to sit or vote in the Assembly. 4. The Minister shall provide to the Committee the serv­ ices of employees of the Department, and supplies, for the purposes of carrying out secretarial, clerical and related work that the Committee may reasonably require to enable it to perform its functions under this Act. 5. The Committee may, with the approval of the Lieute­ nant Governor in Council, make rules governing the calling of its meetings, the quorum required at its meetings, the procedure at its meetings and any other matter relating to the conduct of its business and affairs. 6.

(1) The Committee shall from time to time visit all hospitals for the purpose of reviewing and inspecting them and the manner in which they are operated.

(2) Without restricting the generality of subsection (1), th~ Co.mmittee may in the course of visiting a hospital in­quu'e Into 2 (

a) t~e care, treatment, rehabilitation and general at­ tItudes of patients in the hospital,

3. Remuneration and expenses for members. 4. Provision of staff ,services by the Minister. 5. Rules of procedure. 6. Committee's responsibilities re ,visiting and inspection of hos­ pitals. 2

(

b) general attitudes of the hospital's employees, and (

c) the planning and programs, and the co-ordination of planning and programs, for the care, treatment and rehabilitation of patients and the prevention of disease. ( 3 ) The Minister may from time to time request the Committee to conduct a visit to any hospital for the pur­ pose of reporting to the Minister on any matter that the Minister may specify in his request.

(4) The Committee may authorize an employee of the Department to carry out any specific inquiry on its behalf and to report to the Committee thereon, and for that pur­ pose the employee has the same powers as the Committee itself under

section 7. ( 5 ) Nothing in this

section shall be construed as em­ powering the Committee or any other person to inquire into the financial affairs of a hospital. 7.

(1) For the purposes of carrying out its duties under

section 6, the Committee is entitled to access to the records of the hospital for the purpose of inspecting them, making copies of them or taking extracts from them. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to (

a) financial records of the hospital, or (

b) records relating to diagnoses, treatment or care provided in respect of an individual patient. 8.

(1) As soon as possible after the end of each year, the Committee shall prepare and submit to the Minister a report summarizing :its activities ~n that year.

(2) Upon receiving a report under subsection (1), the Minister shall lay a copy of the report before the Legislative Assembly if it is then in session, and if not, within 15 days after the commencement of the next ensuing session . . 9. This Act comes into force on the day upon which it 1S assented to. 3

7. Committee's powers to inspect records of hospitals. 8. Annual report of the Committee. 3 Title: 1972 (17th, 1st) Bill 66, The Hospital Visitors Committee Act