Horrible experience. If you are seeking care for an elderly loved one I would avoid the place at all costs. They write off the elderly, give them very little care or support which I assume is due to their age and discharge them in a worse state than when they were admitted. Communication between team members is non existent, the left foot never knows what the right foot is doing. Nurses were visibly bothered when you asked for care or had questions and spend more time gossiping with co workers or scrolling their phone than working with patients, physio refused to work with him as he was hard of hearing and could not follow instructions - disaster all around. It is obvious that the hospital spends millions on marketing material in an effort to convince the general public they care, this money would be better spent on the patient. Avoid at all cost. read more

Remarkable doctors and nurses. My friend had a TIA, or at least we thought he had. We were in and out in four hours with a diagnosis and a plan of action. Staff were on point. Even though it was a busy afternoon/evening, they seemed to operate like a well oiled machine. Thank you thank you thank you. read more

After almost a year, my mother finally got her knee replacement surgery booked. She was changed and given premedication then told they did not have a bed for her to stay in after surgery. We she called to complain of course they blamed the doctor, which I am not sure when his job changed to check in and discharge people but it was not the hospitals issue. She was sent home and now we wait again. They should have put more beds in the hospital during the renovation instead of useless wide open hallways. read more

the buildis not bad but the staff are lazy and slow, bumping my bed into walls, my iv stand and other objects. doctors telling my private information while others are in the room and not asking if they can disclose the information around them or not. It took a nurse 15 minutes to answer my help call truly embarrassing and unprofessional read more

The rating should be a -10!!!! I hate this hospital!!! Poorly run from the top down!!!! My senior mother (95) who hasn't been in a hospital in over 50 years, who was still living alone when she fell, never wore diapers, had very young guys come in to clean her private parts, which was very degrading to her. Called for assistance one night because she had to go to the bathroom, she started crying because she couldn't hold it and it took them 40 minutes to come after I went to the nurses station where they were all sitting around!!!I I was personally verbally assaulted by a tending physician, who I asked a question of why my mother was being allowed to cry and be anxious for 3 nights in a row, at the nurses station, rather then be given something to help her sleep!!! He accused me of calling him incompetent, all because I asked a question and he didn't believe in sleeping pills. He said anti anxiety pills were sleeping pills, no they aren't, as per the nursing staff!!! They can't keep their stories or their records straight!!!!! They moved her to rehab after almost 4 weeks in the surgery ward. I was assured by a nurse that her claustrophobic and anxiety information had been forwarded to the new ward, only to arrive and find her crammed into a squatty room, with another woman who wouldn't open her curtain, just a bit, so she could see the window and had the shades down!!! I walked the hall and saw numerous other rooms that had empty beds, that would have been more suitable for her and was told that there was nothing that they could do until maybe, maybe Saturday!!!! The emergency room is a joke!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO SEEING TO THE MOST SERIOUS FIRST????? A QUALIFIED PERSON SHOULD BE ASSESSING PEOPLE WHO COME IN WITH A SORE FINGER, SORE BACK, SORE ARM, DRUNK, STONED AND SEND THEM TO THE NEAREST WALKIN CLINIC OR SEND THEM TO THEIR OWN DOCTORS!!!!! When my mom was brought in, two guys spent 3 hours of the doctors and nurses time, only to be told that they needed to go to their family doctors!!!! ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!!!! WHERE HAS ALL THE MONEY GONE THAT HAS BEEN DONATED????? The old section of the hospital is a pig sty!!!! It needs to be updated, painted, cleaned!! The emergency room curtains are shredded!!!! WHERE'S THE MONEY GOING???? PEOPLE NEED TO STOP DONATING TO THIS USELESS HOSPITAL UNTIL THEY SEE IMPROVEMENTS!!!!!@!@ read more

Previous review correction re.Dr. Avina Feinberg not Steimberg. I have no words to describe Her incompetence. She turned my life outside down. The hospital allows nine months pregnant endoscopy surgeon to keep working. read more

Nicely renovated recently. The Unionized attitude is thick enough to cut with a knife. Lots of empty wide hallways. Big emphasis on parking revenue. Saw a few too many hypochondriac cases while (justifiably) waiting with my mother to get treatment for a deep and bloody cut. We should have been prioritized over the lady who had too much to drink at an office Christmas party. read more

Every thing was great in the emergency department for the first 12 hours or so. After that they stuck me in the back to an unoccupied area of the hospital. The few times I did see the nurse, my simple requests for food, water, and increased comfort were promised, but forgotten about. The nurse Dana in particular, was extremely rude to me. She was extremely sarcastic, and didn't show the smallest amount of empathy or concern towards my well being. I've now been here for 24 hours, and for the third time have been told I'm going to be moving to an actual room. I hope this time it happens. I will be making a formal complaint as well, as nurses like Dana shouldn't be allowed to work here with that type of attitude. The type of stress that that Mistreatment caused is capable of making an emergency patient feel much much worse. read more

I wish there was a negative 10 review option. I was taken to Joe Brant ER by ambulance in February 2023 due to sudden uncontrollable gastrointestinal symptoms. Unfortunately that included a very smelly situation so the ambulance driver could not hide his disgust (great start) once I was situated in a room, a nurse came to take blood and hook up the IV but I could not stop vomiting and soiling myself, any movement causing severe nausea. I was on the floor lying in my own filth and she left me there. Came back hooked me up to the IV and handed me some paper towels to clean myself, no wet wipes, she left the blood work tools and never came back. She didn't gave me a call button and I did't have the strength to yell out for help. Once the medication started to work I was able to clean up and throw my clothes out, lying under a thin blanket naked. A nice cleaning lady wiped up the floor and looked for an extra blanket but there was none. Over 2 hours later a new (male) nurse came and took great care of me. Nurse 1 is a disgrace to the profession, just shameful how she treated me in my most vulnerable moment. Nurse 2 and cleaning lady: keep up being decent human beings read more

If I could give this hospital 10 stars I would! The cleanliness, the staff, the volunteers are amazing! This is my husbands second trip to the hospital since we moved to Burlington and both times he has been treated with respect and dignity. Everyone cares about you. Always remember this is a hospital, not a hotel. It has sick people inside and they are doing their very best for everyone. read more

If I could leave 0 stars I would. Worst hospital I've ever been in. When I had my appendix out, it took them 4 hours to have my blood work done. Then gave me a pain needle before ultra sound, then gave ultra sound nearly 3 hours later when the needle had worn off. Had surgery then 8 hours later I was asked to leave so they could fill the bed. I couldn't even go to the bathroom let alone sit up out of the bed on my own. Hate this hospital. I live on Brant Street and am pregnant, and I'm having my child in Oakville. read more

It's not easy to award stars to this hospital. The physical premises should get half-a-star, because it's such an old, decrepit building. The staff, though, should get more than four stars, maybe four-and-a-half. I'll begin here: On Sunday evening, I accompanied my daughter, who suffered abdominal pain, to the Jo Brant emergency room. In the end, my daughter is okay, but we were there for around 4.5 hours - a wait that I blame squarely on provincial government mismanagement of our healthcare funding system. Despite the long wait, however, every staff member displayed a professional kindness, to us and to other patients all around us. It is my experience that such consideration in an E.R. setting is (sadly) not so routine. Having said that, again, Jo Brant's physical facility is really showing its age. The dingy, dated exam rooms are a real mess, with old equipment that's clearly in disrepair. Even just a can of paint and a bucket of soapy water would go a long way here - but hopefully the new redevelopment and expansion project will address those issues. One nit-picky thing I noted while sitting in the waiting room for more than four hours is that the grammar and punctuation on the signs could use some improvement. Some of these were professionally printed signs. (Maybe I need to submit my resume to the marketing department). Others were mere computer-printed notices. (If only I'd had my red pen ...) Anyway, for what it's worth, I've visited newer hospitals and larger ones, but what stood out during our visit to this hospital was the benevolent staff. During our long wait, I witnessed many small kindnesses demonstrated by Jo Brant attendants, nurses and doctors toward patients --- when people are in pain or uncomfortable, that can make such a difference. They were clearly overworked and understaffed, but every one that we met was helpful. To me, the generous attitude only made the staff seem more professional and capable. I hope nobody in our family ends up in another E.R., but if we do, I hope that at least we are tended to by the staff at Joseph Brant Hospital. read more

I waited 2 hours in the ER this is crazy it was empty to and I was suffering a serious fever very disappointed

Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital...beautiful architecture from the outside, but definitely confusion reigns on the inside. Elderly cancer patient (93 yrs),was told in cancer clinic that she would have a radiology appointment the following week. When she asked for the time, response was "we don't know". She waited for a telephone call to confirm time..it did come, but at 11 PM the night before appointment. Almost one week had transpired in between. Who in their right mind, calls an elderly cancer patient at THAT hour of the night, disturbing her much needed sleep, and putting her into a stressful and anxious situation. Furthermore, when presenting herself at radiology at the specified appointment time, she was NOT on the list of patients to be seen. Obviously, the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. This lack of coordination and communication between departments has occurred time and time again. Great to have a beautiful new hospital in Burlington, but the inner workings MUST be improved to simply the needs of the sick and elderly. Also, the signage between the old hospital and the new needs to be improved. When trying to exit the radiology dept, wandering through countless corridors looking for exit signs is not acceptable. Exit signs are supposed to be marked and clearly visible for all to see. Luckily, a hospital worker assisted us, pointed us in the right direction. Really !!! Such a shame, that so many loopholes exist, and have not been corrected. Have not heard of any of these issues at OTMH or Hamilton General. Kudos to them. read more

Overall a terrible exeperience that lasted for week. I hope no one has to go through the same type of treatment or should I say lack of treatment that my family received or didn't receive. However, it is a beautiful new building. Kudos to the architect / designer. read more

re: the Emergency Room area... had a bit of a difficulty on early early Sat morning...and found out to my absolute amazement....that the Emerg room area has a ONE PERSON only rule for those wishing to accompany in a patient. that is, say you and your wife had a child with a serious problem, went to JoeBrant Emerg.... ONLY one of you can go "in" with your child!!!! HELLO....JoeBrant Emerg people...this is the ABSOLUTELY STUPIDEST RULE I'VE EVER HEARD OF..... why dear god why would you force this kind of a CHOICE onto those of us who want to be there for our loved ones.... THIS NEEDS review, you idiots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! McMaster from now on only....or is this the real reason you're trying to 'cut' down on your medical care costs....if so SHAME on you idiots!!!! Jim read more

My mother was taken by ambulance with a suspected heart attack and was treated immediately. Initially put in the ICU for a couple of days, she was then moved to 5 West short stay area. While the nursing staff was very accommodating and helpful there seemed to be a lack of communication between the physicians and my mother was eventually released 10 days later without really knowing what all the tests she went through meant. Has to go to her family physician for an update tomorrow. We attempted to take turns going in to see her in her room so that we didn't over do the visitor limit but the "lounge" on the 5th floor was so depressing! It's bad enough being at the hospital for hours on end but to have to spend portions of that time in a room that had holes in the walls, peeling paint and rips in the upholstery was awful. I feel bad for the people who have this room in their "honour"! The 5th floor ward is so worn it initially looks dirty, but after more careful review it is just worn and in need up updating. While I know the most important part of health care is the physical care, it wouldn't hurt to fix the physical space as well - made everything just that much more stressful and sad. read more

Lots of complaints about having to wait. Welcome to the ER folks. The wait is no longer than we have experienced at OTMH. Triage nurses are very nice at Joe Brant we got seen fairly quick but yes we did have to wait. I'd give it 5 stars but I cannot because the secondary waiting room has a high definition TV for the patient's comfort but only standard definition cable. Come on JB get your act together. read more

Quick triage and treatment! From the time we walked in the door to the time we got treatment was only 30 minutes. Could be a bit cleaner but overall satisfied with the service. read more

No compassion, no patience, nothing. Maybe it was a bad night for this person. I admit, wasn't the easiest patient. But compassion, understanding, and listening skills. Those are some key components to a doctor, no? And for him to call me names, and throw his arms up. I get it, I was annoying, but my goodness to "profession-ism.".. However, to note.. the nurses in ICU and 4th floor south have been epic :). They are so kind and do such a good job. They deserve an amazing raise. They deserve to paid a lot more than anyone like you. I will probably forget most and miss pronounce alot.. lol (there was too many to remember) but.. monica, maritza, veronica, geehon? (Filipino nurse lol), crisis nurse amazing girl with blonde hair, taylor, wendy, peaudy, another taylor, big ed, the pharmacist that treated my mom (forget your name), all the OTs and all the others, I'm sorry lol if I forgot you, lol. Thankyou nurses of ICU and 4th floor south - you all have been amazing. And deserve more praise!! read more

They just about killed me many years ago; a friend with the same problem was not so lucky. However, his family sued and won an undisclosed amount. I would NEVER go back there. I live equidistant from St Jo's in Hamilton and will take a taxi rather than an ambulance to Jo Brant. It defies logic why they are allowed to even keep the doors open. It seems in the years there have been many changes to the "look" of the hospital but not the number of deaths. Another problem is, many are covered up. If you go to Jo Brant for an operation, please make all the necessary arrangements before you go; there is a high probability you will be going out the back door. read more

If you or your loved one needs surgery, don't go here. They shut down all but one operating rooms over the weekend and have a waiting list unbeknownst to the poor family. My Mom waited in agony for two days with a broken hip and was given no food or water while she waited In a bed in excruciating pain. They kept putting people ahead of her. An idiot who broke his arm putting up lights etc .. Elder abuse disguised ? You bet it was. Terrible situation. It took so long that she died after she finally got the surgery. Too little too late. Even the surgeon who finally operated was disgusted at how she was treated. Go elsewhere !!! read more

By far the best hospital I've been to in awhile, nurses were professional, caring, and very informative letting me know what was going on and what kind of waiting time I was looking at, over all I was in and out within 2 hours and was surprised thinking I was looking at MIN 1-5 hrs. AI Z you waited 1.5hrs for an ear ace in ER realllly???? that's surprising lol you know MIN at any Hospital your looking at 1-3 hrs before even being looked at depending on your condition, so suck it up princess I am sure there were other people there with more then just an ear ace, and it seems like balance wasn't a problem since you got up and left, give it a fair review don't be harsh. I went off topic but again, impressed with the staff and the quality of care, I recommend this hospital. read more

On Thursday, 13 March just after 1.30 pm I was asked to drive a 94 year neighbor to JBH as she was suffering severe stomach pains; her doctor had given her a letter to take asap to the hospital EMERGENCY department. My wife and the lady checked into JBH at 2pm. They waited, waited and waited and finally saw a doctor at 9.15 pm - that's SEVEN HOURS AND 15 MINUTES and the doctor took a whole FIVE MINUTES to diagnose the EMERGENCY and she was admitted. The lady is Mrs Joanne Van der Linden and is currently at JBH. Telling friends and neighbors of the disgusting customer service at JBH, they said we were stupid for going tot JBH as in an EMERGENCY as this was, take the drive to Oakville Hospital for action and help. I should have known better as a few years back I broke my ankle and went to JBMH and waited 5 hours to see a doctor. To say I am disgusted with JBH and angry at the complete lack of care is beyond me. Always pleading for money, JBH needs to staff better and show some compassion which in this case was completely lacking. God help us all in Burlington if you need urgent care because you will not get it at Joseph Brant Hospital. (I must also comment that the price of parking at JBH is downright usery but I guess that is par for the course at that facility) W Mike Smith 905 335 2946 read more

This is the worst ER I have ever been to in my life, and will never go there again. First you come in, and they tell you to wait behind the green line, but there is no green line. There are a bunch of green arrows that have registration written inside of them and they point to another window. Every single person who walked in there got confused by this and kept following the green arrows to registration, only to be told to go back to the first window and wait, and then the person at the first window would tell you to sit down and they will call you. Then you wait, and wait and wait some more...(NOBODY ELSE IN FRONT OF ME, AND NOBODY BEHIND ME WAS CALLED) ..after 1.5 hours of waiting with a terrible ear ache and loss of balance, I got up and left..paid $9.00 for parking to add to the injury for what..for nothing. Went to Mississauga and got treated like a human being. Joseph Brand, you should be ASHAMED! read more

The dealings I've had at this hospital are never good. Their ER is over crowded and under staffed. Nobody there is in any hurry. The nurses do their best, I know they do, with what is given to them, which isn't enough. My father in law went in with terrible stomach pains 4 days ago. Nobody has seen to him to determine what is going on. He has been in a room waiting and waiting to be examined. Each day they tell him "Maybe tomorrow," but tomorrow comes and still, no scopes, no scans, no answers. If you have an emergency, do yourself a favour and tell the ambulance you will absolutely NOT be taken to Joseph Brant. The place is a joke. It's a sick, sick joke. This review is not just based on 1 experience, this is a culmination of several dealings with this nightmare of a hospital. I don't know how they can be funneling money into expanding the hospital and not reserve at least SOME funds to retain 2 or 3 more ER doctors. Any time I've had to go there with someone who is admitted to the ER we have waited upwards of 5 hours to be seen by the ONE doctor working in 'emerge' to be seen. It's appalling. read more

I took my husband in for stitches Saturday night at midnight. It was a busy night in the ER. It took 8 1/2 hours to get to the stitches. We were in the first waiting room for 6 hours. Although the wait was long we were warned from the beginning. There were signs hanging around that stated "It's OK to ask me if my hands are clean". I was impressed by that. I was unimpressed by the triage nurse that finished her work on the computer and turned to my husband. She looked over her first aid supplies....scratched her hair vigorously...chose some gauze and then proceeded to bandage my husband. So much for clean hands. Throughout the night I overheard a few elderly people ask if there was possibly anywhere their spouse could lay down while waiting. They got rude replies including "you can go home and lay down". The hospital itself is getting quite run down and in need of paint and repairs. I can live with that. I have a hard time living with how dirty it was. The lobby had garbage all over and the garbage cans were full. The bathrooms were very dirty. The checklist that gets signed by the person who does the cleaning had not been signed in 4 days. The exam room that we finally ended up in for the actual stitching was no better. While we were waiting to see the doctor a nurse came in looking for a surgical tray. There weren't any. She left complaining to others that there were none anywhere. The doctor came and examined my husband, He went off in search of a clean surgical tray to do the stitches. There were a large stack of used surgical trays in our room on the counter. There were a actual dust bunnies on the floor in the corners and along the floor edges. During the time the doctor was in the room he put on gloves and then opened the door with the gloves on and came back using the gloved hands on the door again. He continued with putting the stitches in without changing gloves. I was most disappointed in the cleanliness of this hospital. Standards are very poor. read more

I was taken to emergency on Thursday February 11,by paramedics with chest and back pain in which Dr DaSantios and her nurse ordered tests to solve the problem. It took an altrasound the next day to discover that my gallbladder was full of stones. I saw Dr Kancherla and she scheduled surgery for Saturday February 13,2016. I just want to say that everyone both in emergency and surgery were kind understanding and very professional, thank you so much for your support and understanding. HeatherAdams read more

My 89 year old mother went to emergency by ambulance in January because of severe abdominal pain. She waited for over 4 hours on a stretcher in a hall before anyone looked at her. Noone seemed to care, no compassion was shown to her at all. My sister finally approached a nurse in tears begging them to give mom something for the pain. When the doctor did see her, he put her on morphine immediately. It was a twisted bowel, very painful. They admitted her for a few days then sent her home. Within a day she was back, same thing. Same treatment. Sent her home. Back she went again (her third trip by ambulance in less than 2 weeks - what did that cost the taxpayers?). This time they did surgery and found a tumor and advanced Ovarian Cancer. She was one sick, frail lady. She was listed as Palliative and sent to the fourth floor to be cared for until she died. The fourth floor is depressing. Dirty, crowded halls, chipped paint, an air of neglect. It's hard to see how they can take care of patients when they cant even maintain a building! Sure enough, the state of the building gave a clue as to the state of care. We have a big family and we took turns, one at a time, staying with her. While there we noticed that then nurses were unable to meet the demands of the patient needs on the floor. 20 - 30 minute delays in responding to the call bells, call bells turned off, pain medication delivered up to 2 hours late, mom left on the side of the bed, in a chair or in the bathroom alone for up to 10 minutes at a time (she cant walk on her own). Lack of respect and privacy for the patients was constantly evident; people on bedpans or getting wound care or receiving enemas without the curtains being drawn, nurses shouting to one another in the halls at night, lack of help opening sealed meals, etc. We didnt feel mom was safe from falls or from medical errors so we hired companions from a private nursing company to stay with her at night. The hospital staff did NOT like this and made a stink about it. Finally this week the hospital suddenly decided that Mom should be discharged because they needed her bed. They did not talk to her doctor about this. They talked to mom, got her all excited about going home, got her consent and THEN told her doctor. He was furious but couldnt talk mom out of it at that point. She was discharged at 6:00 that day with a bag full of narcotics, no health care equipment at home and no plan for who would do the nursing care she needs. Her doctor is filing a complaint and so am I. read more

See all

I have been at Joe Brant too many times in the last year. Not because I like it but because I had to. And because of my frequent visits I was made to feel like a chronic hypochondriac by the oncology department. When I asked my family doctor to refer me to another doctor, I was sent to Juravinsky where my concerns were taken more seriously. I knew I had made the right decision when my specialist arranged for me on a regular basis to have transfusions if needed after the blood work was done. The second time I went for blood work I was informed they had no room for me that maybe Juravinsky could accommodate me better, Yet the blood work was still ordered. I was not notified that my hemoglobin was at 75. When I went for my appointment at Juravinsky a few days later It was then I found out I needed a transfusion which they arranged for me. No I would not recommend the oncology department. With that said the emergency department was excellent every time I went which was more than I wanted. read more