Queensway Carleton Hospital

Queensway Carleton Hospital is a community hospital located in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It provides a broad range of acute health‑care services to residents of the surrounding area. These services include emergency medicine, inpatient medical and surgical units, critical care, maternal and child health, mental health programs, rehabilitation, and diagnostic imaging and laboratory support. The hospital also offers outpatient clinics and day‑surgery procedures. As a publicly funded institution, it operates under the mandate of the Ontario Ministry of Health and delivers care regardless of patients’ ability to pay.

Queensway Carleton Hospital functions as a teaching site affiliated with the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, where medical students, residents, and other health‑professionals receive clinical training. This affiliation supports the hospital’s role in medical education and contributes to its capacity to adopt evidence‑based practices and participate in research initiatives. The institution is governed by a community board of trustees that oversees strategic direction, financial stewardship, and quality improvement.

In March 2023, Queensway Carleton Hospital disclosed a data breach that originated from unauthorized access to a test environment of a third‑party software provider, Aetonix Systems Inc. The breach potentially exposed health and personal information, including home addresses and OHIP numbers, of up to one hundred thousand patients. Upon discovery, the hospital ceased use of the affected platform, notified affected individuals through public announcements and direct communication, and informed provincial privacy authorities. This incident highlighted the hospital’s reliance on external vendors for certain digital services and prompted a review of its data‑protection protocols.