Transforming and Supporting Patient Care - Health Professions ...

45Chapter 2 – Excellence in Health Profession Regulation: Raising the Bar in OntarioGreat Britain. 52 The granting of enforcement and other authorities to theCHRE may erode the fundamental principles of self-regulation by shiftingsome of the responsibilities for regulating to an independent agency ofgovernment.Deliberations on Establishing a New AgencyHPRAC considered four options in shaping its advice to the Minister for anappropriate new agency to fulfill the mandate described above:1. Expand the role of the Federation of Health Regulatory Colleges ofOntario (FHRCO),2. Maintain HPRAC and create an additional agency (two-agencymodel),3. Expand the role of other bodies,4. Create a new agency (absorbing HPRAC’s current mandate).1. Federation of Health Regulatory Colleges of Ontario (FHRCO)In the responses to the Consultation Discussion Guide, the concept of anoversight body was met with reticence, particularly from the Collegesthemselves. However, some respondents offered some support to mandateFHRCO to act as a coordinating body.FHRCO has undertaken several projects on behalf of Colleges, includingcoordinating joint advertising efforts and developing a document onmedical directives, orders and delegation. The organization also conductsjoint education projects in quality assurance from time to time.FHRCO is a voluntary body whose membership is made up of chiefexecutive officers or registrars of health regulatory colleges in Ontario. Theorganization does not include any professional associations, health careproviders, public representatives or members of college councils asmembers. Its role is to bring health college leadership together to discusspolicy and administrative issues of the day, such as communications andquality assurance programs, but it is rare that broader strategic matters areaddressed. Subcommittees deal with cross-college issues, and providemanagement insight and options. FHRCO has particularly concentrated onattempts to broaden public understanding of the role of health colleges.For FHRCO to fulfill the needed role that HPRAC has identified in the currentsystem, it would have to change fundamentally from a member-drivenorganization to an independent body accountable to the government. Itsmandate would have to change, and current funding mechanisms wouldrequire change to facilitate and coordinate the functions contemplated, andthe accountability to funding organizations.52See Rudolph Klein, (2004) Britain’s National Health Service Revisited 350:9 N. Eng. J. Med, 937.HPRAC Critical Links January 2009