REGULATED HEALTH PROFESSIONS ACT
PROCLAIMED
- - -
New Legislation to Focus on Accountability, Patient
Safety: Minister Selby
Legislation focusing on accountability, patient safety
and ensuring all health professions in Manitoba are governed by consistent,
uniform regulations will be proclaimed into force on Jan. 1, Health Minister
Erin Selby said today.
"The modern Regulated Health Professions Act will
change the way health professions are regulated in Manitoba to ensure
consistency and a focus on patient safety," said Minister Selby. "Audiology and speech-language pathology
will be the first two regulated health professions transitioning to regulation
under the legislation with more to follow."
Currently, there are 21 statutes dealing with 22
different health professions. The
Regulated Health Professions Act will replace these statutes, bringing all
regulated health professions under one act.
The minister said the act will:
* further strengthen patient safety by ensuring all
regulatory bodies establish standards of practice, codes of ethics and
continuing competency requirements;
* improve patient safety by regulating the performance of
activities specified in the act, called reserved acts, including diagnosis,
prescribing drugs, cutting into tissue and applying a form of energy for
diagnosis, for example, X-rays and CT scans;
* create consistent and fair complaint and disciplinary
processes across all professional colleges;
* increase public representation on the boards of
self-governing professions;
* provide improved accountability between the regulatory
bodies and government; and
* allow health professions to continue to be
self-regulating.
The new audiology and speech-language pathology
regulations define the scope of practice of these professions including the
reserved acts they may perform and provide a transition of the current Manitoba
Speech and Hearing Association to become the College of Audiologists and
Speech-Language Pathologists of Manitoba.
"The professions of audiology and speech-language
pathology are pleased to have the opportunity to modernize the governing
legislation under the new act to improve accountability and enhance the ability to protect the public interest,"
said Laura Lenton, president of the Manitoba Speech and Hearing Association. "It is a privilege to be self-regulating
and an honour to lead the movement of change for self-regulating health
professions in Manitoba."
The new College of Audiologists and Speech-Language
Pathologists of Manitoba will be responsible for administering all regulated
programs including revised and modernized requirements for registration,
continuing competency and advanced competency certification. It will include public representatives to
ensure transparent and accountable decision-making. Members of the professions will be provided
clearly-defined standards to which they must adhere in order to ensure the
public receives consistent, high-quality care.
Extensive consultations were undertaken to help develop
the regulations including public and professional consultations, the minister
said.
As audiology and speech-language pathology will now be
regulated under the new legislation, the Manitoba Speech and Hearing
Association Act will be repealed.
The minister noted the province is continuing to work
with other regulatory bodies, including the College of Physicians and Surgeons
of Manitoba and the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba, to develop the
necessary legislation to transition to regulation under the Regulated Health
Professions Act.