The Act of 2002 concerning patients’ rights defines the relation between the patient and the health professional. It is intended first and foremost to encourage dialogue.
The patient has a right to :
- High-quality health care
- Freedom to choose a professional practitioner
- Clear, comprehensive information on his state of health
- Informed consent
- Up-to-date medical records, a consultation and a copy of his records
- Confidentiality and respect for his privacy
- Pain management
- Lodge a complaint with the mediation department
To find out more about patients’ rights, you can view the FPS for Public Health brochure
What to do if you have a question, observation or complaint about these rights
If you have encountered difficulty with respect to these rights, we encourage you to first of all share your concerns with the person concerned (physician, nursing staff member, head nurse, etc.) to discuss them. If you are dissatisfied with this course of action, you can appeal to the Mediation department to voice your disappointment and make a complaint.
The mediator listens to patient’s requests and complaints and supports him in the measures taken. If necessary, she mediates between the patient and the health professional concerned and tries to help them figure out the problem and identify an acceptable solution. She is also called on to create lessons from the complaints she has recorded and use them to make recommendations to enhance respect for patients’ rights.
The mediator operates as an independent agent. She processes complaints in a neutral and impartial manner, and is bound by the rules of professional secrecy.
You can contact the mediator in confidence by telephone, written correspondence, email or have a discussion with her.
Contact
Mediation department
In order to offer our patients the best possible service, the mediator is available by appointment only, from Monday to Thursday. Please contact our mediator to make an appointment or to ask your questions: by telephone on 02/221.90.70 or by e-mail at mediation@clstjean.be.
If the mediator is unavailable or on leave:
- By telephone: an answering machine will tell you how long he or she will be away. Leave a voice message and the mediator will contact you as soon as possible on his return.
- By e-mail: in reply to your e-mail, an automatic e-mail will tell you how long the mediator will be away. The mediator will get back to you as soon as possible.
Contact details
Saint-Jean Clinic
Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, 32
1000 Brussels
Tel: 02/221.90.70
E-mail : mediation@clstjean.be
Access to medical records
Request for medical records
As a patient you can, with some exceptions, obtain a copy of your official medical records in two ways:
- On the spot from the department concerned, by showing your ID card and giving the address to which the copy of medical records is to be sent, or.
- Through a written request by filling in A Form (205.29 KB) "pdf".
This right can also be exercised through a third-party acting on behalf of the patient: either “a trusted individual” whom he has designated for this purpose, or his legal representative if the patient is a minor and/or incapable of exercising his rights himself. In such a case, it is the responsibility of this third-party to fill in B Form (206.19 KB) "pdf".
If the patient is deceased, no copies of the medical records can be issued or sent. Following the death of a patient, the only authorised consultation of the deceased’s medical records is by a physician designated by the family of the deceased, via a substantiated request. C Form (236.85 KB) "pdf" must consequently be completed.
* The professional practitioner can refuse to issue a copy of the medical records if there are indications that the patient is being pressured to disclose a copy of his medical records to a third-party (article 9§3 of the Act of 22 August 2002).
Submitting the request
The forms are to be addressed by post or by e-mail to:
Clinic Saint-Jean
Assistance to the medical direction
Boulevard du Jardin Botanique 32 in 1000 Brussels
E-mail : directionmedicale@clstjean.be
We will take follow-up action within a fortnight of receipt of your request.
Legal relations between Clinic Saint-Jean and professionals
In accordance with the applicable legislation, please find below the information on the existing legal relationships between our Clinic and the professional practitioners on our staff. This forms part of the rights you will enjoy as a patient.
Categories of practitioners and their legal status
| Categories of practitioners | Legal status |
|---|---|
| Dentists | Self-employment agreement |
| Dieticians | Work contract and self-employment agreement |
| Occupational therapists | Work contract |
| Nurses and nurse's aids | Work contract |
| Physiotherapists | Self-employment agreement and work contract |
| Physicians | Self-employment agreement |
| Physician’s assistants | Internship agreement |
| Pharmacists | Work contract |
| Podiatrists | Self-employment agreement |
| Psychologists | Self-employment agreement and work contract |
| Midwives | Self-employment agreement and work contract |
You can at any time make a verbal or written request for particularised information on these statuses. If the request is for particularised information, please specify the name of the practitioner concerned when making the request. Clinic Saint-Jean provides you with the written information within 5 working days.
For this, you can contact the medical administration office by e-mail to directionmedicale@clstjean.be or by telephone on 02/221.90.14.
