Transforming and Supporting Patient Care - Health Professions ...

29Chapter 2 – Excellence in Health Profession Regulation: Raising the Bar in OntarioNow enacted, the Bill has brought further reforms to sustain confidence inthe professional regulatory system. 25 Reforms implemented have includedthe establishment of a new body, the Office of the Health ProfessionsAdjudicator (OHPA) 26 and the change in name of the Council for theRegulation of Healthcare Professionals to the Council for HealthcareRegulatory Excellence (CHRE). 27The CHRE is an arms-length agency accountable to Parliament andresponsible for overseeing nine health regulatory bodies. 28 Its mainobjective is to promote the health, safety and well-being of patients andother members of the public by promoting best practice, cooperation andconsistency in the regulation of health professionals. It scrutinizes andoversees the health profession regulators, works with them to identify andpromote good practice in regulation, carries out research, develops policyand gives advice. 29 As part of its role, the CHRE has the authority to directregulators to make or change their rules if CHRE believes that such achange is necessary to protect the public. This authority is subject toapproval by the Ministry and the legislative authority of Parliament. TheCHRE also has a statutory duty to inform and seek the view of the public onthe exercise of its functions.The CHRE has special powers and responsibilities in reviewing fitness topractise decisions under the National Health Service Reform and Health CareProfessions Act, 2002. 30 It reviews final-stage decisions made by healthregulators on professionals’ fitness to practise, but does not haveinvestigatory powers. It can review the information that was available to theregulator’s panel, and if the CHRE deems the panel’s decision to be undulylenient and inadequate for public protection, can refer it to the High Court.The CHRE maintains independent decision-making powers through theprocess and the Minister of Health does not play a role in the process. 31The CHRE considers this responsibility an opportunity for shared learningto feed back to the regulators. 32 It cites the main purpose of s. 29 as “toimprove the quality of fitness to practise processes and the quality of the[regulators’] fitness to practise process and the quality of the committees’and panels’ decisions across the regulatory bodies”. 3325Government of the United Kingdom, Department of Health Briefing Sheet- Health and Social CareBill – 2008, p. 1.http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Humanresourcesandtraining/Modernisingprofessionalregulation/DH_085888.26Health And Social Care Act, 2008, Part 2, Clauses 93- 105.27Ibid, Clauses 108 -113.28These bodies include: the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, HealthProfessions Council, the General Dental Council, the General Optical Council, the GeneralChiropractic Council, the General Osteopathic Council, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of GreatBritain and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.29CHRE. About Us. http://www.chre.org.uk/about/.30National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act, 2002. Chapter 17 (s) 29.http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/ukpga_20020017_en_5#pt2-pb1-l1g29.31CHRE. Fitness to Practise. Reviewing Fitness to Practise Decisions Under Section 29. AccessedJanuary 9, 2009. www.chre.org.uk/practise/79/.32Ibid.33Ibid.HPRAC Critical Links January 2009