Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Toxic and unprofessional work environment:

- Past management did not support staff, treated staff disrespectfully and did none of the work required as Manager
- Toxic "we're a family" mentality
- Unprofessional handling of sensitive issues/situations
- Poor time management from leadership (e.g, 2-hr scheduled meeting going on for 4 hours instead, director never on time for meetings or goes over meeting time, etc.)
- Awful micromanaging from the director
- Not an inclusive space, often felt cut off from the team
- Senior leadership not hiring competent people (e.g. Past manager was handed the job, director was handed the job)
- HR is a joke - still have not heard from someone about an exit interview; HR handled a sensitive harassment issue too slowly and did not provide proper solutions during "investigation"

Avoid working here if you can.

September 6,2023 ️️️️️
Today, I had an appointment with my MS doctor at Sunnybrook. Having been here for appointments in the past, I've always been impressed with the high-quality service they provide. Parking is conveniently located near the front entrance, and there are nearby pay stations for easy access. Inside, they have hand sanitizing stations and provide masks, and you'll find plenty of helpful staff to answer any questions and guide you through the hospital. Wheelchairs are also readily available at the entrance.

I have the utmost satisfaction with Dr. Lee, who consistently takes the time to address all my questions and ensures I have a clear understanding of my medical plan. I feel incredibly fortunate to have access to such excellent healthcare services.

It's a very big, well equipped and important hospital. However, from my first hand experience haven't been entirely a positive one. I noticed a nurse tone-policing a frustrated patient, instead of helping that patient. One curious thing I also noticed was another patient in the emergency waiting for over five and half hours for treatment, while there are well positioned monitors that was advertising that Sunnybrook was named 'one of the best hospitals' by 'Newsweek' (a not-so-trusted big newspeak media group).

Aside from the Orwellian themes throughout the hospital and their enforcements on their patients, I do have to say most nurses are grudgingly helpful and this hospital is well equipped to serve a very important role in North York.

When staffs and nurses are busy powertripping with each other using HR, caring only about their own 'feelings' & 'pay' not the patients or quality of service, without any accountability, do you not expect it to be a disaster?
All the horrible, negative reviews you can see are the result of this kind of staffs working there. If the senior leaders managed them with an iron fist, all this bad service would go away. They need to put their patients firsts and hold lazy, problematic, power tripping nurses and staffs accountable!

There is no longer the right to privacy in regard to our health records in Canada. This hospital played a huge role in that.

Pregnant with Influenza, my daughter as well. It really took 5 hrs to have then give her basic Tylenol. It’s impossible to recall a time where any ER wait resulted in care that actually helped. Filthy and dated as well.

I’m not sure why the reviews are so bad. Today I had a very good experience. Everyone was nice and empathetic. I had the best doctor, I forgot to get her name. Young Asian woman dr. She is an incredible human. The first nurse who took my blood, he was so nice and gentle as well. The check in front staff /triage nurse all SO friendly. It really made a difference for me today. I really appreciate everyone there. There was a wait time but it’s normal and it wasn’t even that bad I got there around 1045am and was finished everything by 345pm. This is by far best hospital in Toronto from what I’ve heard and now my own experience. I never go to hospital often but last I had to was st joes because it was closer to me at the time and that was a very bad experience from rude front desk to rude doctor. I was worried what today would be like and I am so grateful for everyone there today. The Health care workers at Sunnybrooke are amazing people, truly.

Yesterday night I arrived at this hospital with 38.4 fever, flu and cough at (6pm ish) went to emergency zone for registration. They told me: wait for your turn, someone will call you. At 7pm they called me to get my personal information in order to give me this bracelet with my name, etc. They told me again: Have a seat, someone will call you.
At 8ish they call me again to take some blood samples. And again they told me: someone will call you. (At this point I’m feeling deezy plus my fever) I thought a doctor or a nurse will call my name immediately. The clock hit 11: 36pm! I was there literally passing out with no one there to offer me at least some sugar or offering some explanations of what was happening. I had to leave with my fever, with no answer and with all my frustration of not being served. IT’S A SHAME!

Best Hospital Toronto has-

All hospitals are frequently busy especially in the emergency department.
I was here back in February and the staff are excellent, from front desk to nurses to doctors. I arrived and the place was packed.
I waited no longer then 35 mins and I was on my way in through Triage. It moved a lot quicker then I ever expected.
Less then 3 hours I was outta there with a solution.
Thank you Sunnybrook! Keep up the great work my go to Hospital

One of the leaders medical institute in the country. The biggest trauma hospital in Ontario. The biggest veteran hospital in Canada. The biggest psychiatry in the Canada. Situated in north York, easy access and a lot of parking spots. Reachable by buses 11,11A and 124. All of them go through subway stations.

The doctors are knowledgeable and skilled; I am grateful for the procedure my father got.
The day nurses are personable and very helpful, thankful for that.
The night nurses have a personality pattern of being no where to be found, a bit lazy, and trying to do minimal or expecting patients to request basic care needs. The issue is, a 75 year old open heart patient who was in the CVICU for a week and is just learning to move around with physio will not shout for you when no one is responding to his call bell. As well we recived a response of “he can tell me what medication he needs” - no, he can tell you what discomfort he is feeling, your job is to decide what medication is best to manage his symptoms.
Nurse AIds and students; all were clueless. God knows what online learning portal they came from. I witnessed them yanking an elder man post op onto a wheelchair and had to tell them “you need to be gentle” ; witnessed them not cover the patient who is cold with his skin out from the robe; witnessed them get offended and reply they are doing a favour to begin with (great nurse you’ll be) ; and witnessed them hurry off without telling us who we are seeing at this derm clinic - even front desk was puzzled as to why she ran off without communicating who is here and why.
Food is another mystery. I’ve attached the food they served. For two days straight my father got tea and apples (no meal) at the CVICU even though the nurses kept updating his profile requesting a full meal which he was allowed to have. What is your budget for a meal Sunnybrook?
My heart goes out to patients who do not have close family to attend to them daily for meals or to help tidy them up and keep sane.
I request the hospital to contact me to discuss many administrative and customer service issues that need to be dealt with to provide decent care to elderly patients at the hospital.
Regards.

One of the best hospitals I’ve been to. Definitely the best hospital in GTA in mho. Very organized and the staff is genuinely nice and helpful.

I was not going to give a bad review but after receiving 3 reminders about making a donation to the hospital urged me do so. I went to emergency in April 2022 with a letter from my family doctor and an MRI report asking to see a neurologist. I sat there for 11 1/2 hours and a young doctor looked at my report and said Dr. Da Costa would be calling me in a week or so - he never called. While the young doctor and I were talking he was fixated on my cane and interrogated me why I was using it and said I was too young at age 67 years old. He had no idea about my medical history so I was shocked and what does age have to do with using a cane? He also mixed up my file with someone else's and said I had a serious problem with alcohol. I never drank alcohol in my life (even at my wedding). I am very disappointed how I was treated at this hospital and hope never to return.

Really disappointed and confused with the docs and staff there.my grandma’s admitted with myeloma and having seizure like spells and some infection in her bowls.she is now septic because the doc decided to wait and just pump the stuff out her stomach instead of giving her antibiotics also she was having accidents and was forced to sit in it for 40 mins plus.not ecstatic with her treatment.but thankful for the few nurses who are helping.

Was transferred here for an emergency c section. Exceptional service the nurses and staff are beyond amazing. The NICU team is no doubt the best, they really cared for my preemie. Now that we have been transferred to level 2, the difference in care is night and day. We miss the care and love the Nicu provided for my daughter, wish we were still there.

Waited 3 hours to get my number called in the emergency room for the covid guidelines while i had trouble breathing and coughing blood.just to wait another 4 hours to not get help.staff is rude and rushed.no staff was in the emergency room offices.never coming here again.

So many incompetent doctors. Dr. Dennis Ko cardiologist is a total joke. I knew he did not put the stent properly. I do have lawsuit against this hospital and and another racist doctor. Always get another opinion. Do not contact paients experience. They are just there to asseses the severity of negluegece of their doctor.this is very shady hospital with questionable ethics in particuar with respect to human rights violation and privacy issues. There is widspread clincal errors in this hospital. I will be taking further action toward 2 other doctors

If I could give 10 stars out of 5, I would! The BEST HOSPITAL in Toronto. Their staff, Doctors, Nurses are all knowledgeable. Very well trained and always makes sure you have been properly diagnosed before you leave. My family and I have been to the ER a couple of times and we always go home very satisfied by the care and treatment they give. There was a time we went first to a different hospital, they misdiagnosed it and when we went to sunnybrook, 3 specialists came to look at a rare condition and they were able to diagnose it right away and got it treated.

Definitely worthy of being the Trauma Centre in Toronto. Research does go a long way. Keep up the good work!

Over the last year I spent most of the year in Sunnybrook on C4. I had the most amazing staff who took care of me. I also spent time in the ICU and if not for staff I would not be here. My only disapointment was when I was almost ready to leave the hospital they put someone in the room with me who had Covid, and I ended up getting it. I'm immune supressed and this should not have happened. 3 people with were put in my room and one with MSRA.

Incompetent front desk / administration staff. Truly pathetic. You’re better off dying in the gutter than visiting this cesspool.

Front desk/registration staff was rude in emergency department. I’m in healthcare and did not find this acceptable. “Compassionate care” is really going down the drain.

If you want your loved one’s life to be prolonged or at least make the inevitable a more comfortable place where your family isn’t harassed, verbally assaulted, patient given drugs/medication against your concern and will then seek another hospital other than Sunnybrook Palliative Care. If you’re looking for a place that will give you peace of mind that your loved, when you aren’t there is taken care of and respected find another hospital. My advice to ANYONE who is considering placing their family/friend in Sunnybrook’s Palliative care. …. Stay very far away! Do you due diligence and research, ask questions, document everything. Talk to your loved one about things that take place in your absence. Follow up with nurses about the patient even though their answers are mostly “I don’t know I just started my shift” 3 hours into their shift. Question about meals and feeding, any new medications introduced. Ask questions and don’t allow them to give your family member just anything without your knowledge and consent. Advocate for your family because their life truly does depend on it.

Twenty years ago, this hospital was one of the best. Currently, it’s one of the worst. My mother had a series of seizures and was admitted through emergency. After waking up in the icu, my mother was out of it and needed her family there to ground her. With the exception of one or two fantastic nurses; she was constantly disrespected by doctors who ignored her questions and treated her like she was stupid. Then when she was moved to a regular ward, the ward itself had a Covid outbreak so my family was banned from seeing her. Despite her needing family at this moment. While in hospital, she complained to the doctors of having a sore shoulder which was repeatedly ignored. My mother had imaging done at a different hospital much later and the muscle was torn. When my brother tried to get my mother out of the hospital and home to heal, the doctors threatened to call the police on him. In the end, we got her home and she is flourishing.

Never. Again.

Sunnybrook is extremely busy even when it doesn't look it because only the most seriously injured are brought here. So sometimes it seems slow and a procedure might get pushed back because someone more critically injured has arrived. That being said, the staff are absolutely world class, top notch. They're sometimes frustrated too that they don't have unlimited resources but boy are they doing their best! I wasn't an easy patient but I never felt mistreated and many things I thought would be agonizing they took the time to make very gentle. Everyone in emergency, surgery, recovery and C5 has my thanks and love!

Amazing hospital, we were there for three months and the staff were amazing with us.thank you very much.

Had an appointment for x-rays today at 12: 45pm. My partner and I were told to be 30 min early to check in. We got here at noon, only to be called at 2: 00pm. The staff were rude and no help was offered to my partner who was in extreme pain. What a torturous experience. Avoid this hospital like the plague.

I went to the emergency room yesterday, where I met a lot of people who gave me warmth, especially a female nurse in the orange zone, she was so gentle and kind, she held my hand, I felt warm, she was a mother-to-be But she is still working and giving for our city, she is great, I really thank her and I wish her all the best.

Unfortunately, I had a bad experience at Sunnybrook Health Sciences in my career today. I am a community language interpreter. I had an assignment with Dr. Paul Marks at Room 301 and a patient. Dr. Marks was too aggressive and rude to me and to the patient, although I and the patient used very respectful language to him. At the end of the assessment Doc.asked for the volunteer survey to the patient if he was treated good in his clinic and the patient in fear chose “yes” answers. The hospital management should take serious this unprofessional behaviour, people go to hospitals to find wellness and treatment.

I had emergency surgery.
The staff was great.
The surgeon Dr. Paul was ammaziiing.
I really appriciate, Saving my life.
Emergency room was full, I was in bed in hallway in emergency room all night.
Nurse were great.
Food was not good.

Thank you for everything.

I’m here at the hospital at 4am and there’s literally little to anyone here. And it’s taking me 1hour and 30 mins to register. Nurses resting, very rude and nonchalant to your feeling… I could be dying it’s like I have to be unresponsive to get some help. This is very worrisome and unhealthy.

Had a splinter inside of my hand that would not come out after a week. Went to Sunnybrook on Thanksgiving Sunday at about 11 am. The entire process took five hours but the splinter was removed and the wound was flushed out.

I cannot say enough about Dr Shelton and Tiffany, the nurse. Absolutely above and beyond, on Thanksgiving Sunday no less.

Rename Sunnybrook to Sheltonbrook, and throw in a Tiffany wing while you're at it, and I will consider this an adequate honor for those two. Thank you.