Patients of fake nurse ask why they weren't connected with Vancouver police

Women who received care from someone posing as a nurse during gynecological surgeries at B.C. Women's Hospital say they're puzzled about why they weren't told how to get in touch with investigators.

A letter from the hospital's chief operating officer sent to patients treated by Brigitte Cleroux doesn't include any contact information for police probing the 49-year-old's year working as a perioperative nurse.

In fact, the letter says, "no further action is required from you at this time."

For 37-year-old Amy Field, who was treated by Cleroux during a uterine ablation surgery for endometriosis, the response from the hospital fails to capture the gravity of the situation.

"I'm not impressed with the letter," she told CBC.

"For such a massive, massive screw up on their part, it seems like such an absolute boilerplate letter. I can't imagine how they could have gone about it in any way less of a caring way."

Field said the letter left her with no idea about what she should do next. Apart from the lack of information about how to reach investigators with the Vancouver Police Department, there's no mention of counselling services for people who might have been hurt.

"I've been trying to do my own research to figure out what direction I could potentially take this — if any — and there's no guidance, there's no offer of any kind of help," Field said.

"We shouldn't be having to take it upon ourselves to figure out where to go from here."

Cleroux has been charged with fraud and personation in B.C., and investigators allege she used the name of another nurse to gain employment. She also faces charges in Ottawa related to similar allegations, and has a long history of convictions for posing as a nurse in multiple provinces.

VPD spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison said the investigation is still ongoing and "it's a personal choice to come forward and speak to police."

However, he confirmed that investigators won't be able to look into Cleroux's interactions with individual patients unless they speak with police.

"We cannot access a victim's private medical information without their consent," Addison wrote in an email.

The letters to patients include a phone number for the hospital, where patients can seek more details about Cleroux's involvement in their surgeries, as well as the Provincial Health Services Authority's patient care quality office.