Transforming and Supporting Patient Care - Health Professions ...

49Chapter 2 – Excellence in Health Profession Regulation: Raising the Bar in Ontario1. To monitor the Colleges in fulfilling their new objects and facilitate,coordinate and enhance interprofessional collaboration amongColleges.In fulfilling this goal, the agency would advise the Minister on:• Whether unregulated professions should be regulated;• Whether regulated professions should no longer be regulated;• Suggested amendments to the RHPA, a health profession Act or aregulation under any of those Acts and suggested regulations underany of those Acts;• The recommended scope of practice of regulated professions;• The need for collaboration among health colleges;• Any conflicts between and among the health colleges or betweencolleges and others that the concerned colleges have not been able toresolve;• Any health college that does not fulfill its objects and duties;• Suggested amendments to any provincial Act or regulation affectingthe role of health professions or health professionals in health care orhealth care delivery.The agency would also facilitate linkages among health colleges,professions and others, including practice settings, to ensure broaderinstitutional integration and continuity of care; identify barriers in lawsaffecting interprofessional collaboration; and understand and build on thechanging roles of health professionals, emerging trends and other mattersrelevant to the regulation of health professionals.Examples of the kinds of activities that would be carried out by the agencyin fulfilling its responsibilities to promote collaboration between and amongColleges would include:• Initiating scope of practice reviews of health professions;• Identifying processes to improve and streamline standardsdevelopment and quality reporting;• Resolving conflicts among health colleges and between colleges andothers, and• Developing stronger partnerships with educators.In conducting scope of practice reviews and participating in conflictresolution, the agency would be responsible for advising the Minister ofother instances when it would be appropriate to require the establishmentof interprofessional standards committees to develop enforceable standardsof practice.2. To achieve excellence in the work of Colleges by reviewing andevaluating quality assurance, patient safety and collaborative workingrelationships and communicating best practices in regulatoryfunctions and ethics.HPRAC Critical Links January 2009