Conflict of Interest Policy

The purpose of this policy is to provide principled boundaries and guidance for the effective, fair, legal and reasonable participation of the Patients Council Directors in circumstances where real or perceived conflict of interest may exist.

Definition and Criteria:

A conflict of interest is defined as any circumstance encountered by the Patients Council Board of Directors which results in direct or indirect personal or individual advantage, financial gain or benefit as the result of discussion, influence, process or decisions taken by the Council Board members.

A conflict of interest may arise in circumstances where the quality or outcome of a process, discussion or decision is adversely affected due to prior relationship, association, conflict or position of authority.

The Board of Directors will consider the following criteria (but will not be limited to these) when determining the merits of potential conflict of interest situations:

a) Will the participation of any Board member in a process, discussion or decision be viewed as acting in the specific interest of that Board member-- will that Board member directly or indirectly stand to benefit from the outcome of the process?

b) Will the participation of any Board member in a process, discussion or decision be viewed to be in the service of interests other than the interests of the Patients Council due to prior relationship, association, conflict or position of authority?

Process:

When a conflict of interest is discovered, the conflict will be declared and those Board members affected will refrain from participating in the process, decisions, discussions or otherwise influencing the outcome of the question at hand.

Where a potential real or perceived conflict of interest is recognized, the nature of the potential conflict will be declared or otherwise raised by any Board member and the merits of the potential conflict will be discussed, investigated or otherwise reviewed to determine whether a declaration of conflict of interest is required. The Board may decide the matter by a vote. The majority of votes will rule.

Hospital Employees:

By nature of their position, working for the hospital is a conflict of interest with a position on the Patients Council Board. All Queen Street Mental Health Centre employees are excluded from Patients Council voting membership and therefore from positions as directors and officers on the Patients Council.

Staff of the Queen Street Mental Health Centre, consumer/survivor or not, shall be excluded from Patients Council Board meetings to protect the confidentiality of Council discussion and in the interests of credible efforts in advocating for consumer/survivors at the hospital. Consumer/ survivor employees are invited to present any information on hospital issues of interest to the Council when they require input or support.

Discussion: Freeing Our Voices

The psychiatric survivor movement has had an effect. The government now has policies calling for the involvement of psychiatric consumers and survivors in some aspects of the mental health system. At Queen Street, this means that there are psychiatric consumers and survivors on QSMHC committees, and working at Queen Street. This can put people in a difficult position. We are there because of the efforts of our comrades. We are also there to represent the survivor and consumer perspective. But Queen Street pays us. We need the money. Our opportunity to have this money may depend on what we say. How can we be speak freely?

a) Psychiatric consumers and survivors should be selected or elected to be on boards and committees by consumers and survivors, organized by the Patients Council. In principle, both the Ministry of Health and Queen Street have approved this policy. But it hasn't been put into practice. So we must make sure it is, by selecting our own representatives. Electing the Patients Council is one way, and others must be developed.

b) A similar issue is how to have survivors and consumers who are hired directly by the hospital still be responsible to their fellow consumers and survivors. The Queen Street Patients Council proposes that survivors and consumers who are in positions that are related to hospital policy or practice report to a Board that has at least two thirds consumers and survivors, elected by the Patients Council (but not necessarily on the Council). This should mean that people can take positions that represent consumers and survivors without fear of losing their job.

c) Psychiatric survivors and consumers deserve representatives who are not placed in an unfair conflict of interest between their need for money and their role as consumer and survivor representatives.

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