CPSBC’s overriding interest as a regulator is the protection and safety of patients by ensuring BC physicians and surgeons provide competent and ethical care. As we prepare for the implementation of the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA), I am reminded of what Harry Cayton emphasized in his —that professional regulation requires the confidence of the public and it needs to be shared between the profession and the public in the interests of society as a whole.
There is an opportunity with the HPOA to focus more directly on that shared responsibility through the composition of the Board. Under the HPOA, CPSBC’s Board will have 12 members with equal representation of public members and licensees to remove any perception of Board decisions being made based on professional self-interest or advocacy.
The new independent will establish the general education, training and experience required for all health regulatory board members, and make recommendations to the Minister of Health for appointments using a merit and competency-based selection process rather than an election process. Under the proposed draft bylaws, currently published for consultation, the CPSBC Board may also submit recommendations for appointment of members to the Superintendent if there is a need for a particular skill set.
The HPOA also requires the Board to appoint professional standards advisors who are responsible for making recommendations to the Board about eligibility standards, ethics standards and practice standards. The panel of professional standards advisors will be comprised of licensees and members of the public who are selected based on their qualifications.
While professional expertise will always be required in regulation, the public must have a strong voice at CPSBC’s governance table in order to truly serve the public interest. CPSBC has steadily moved towards this shared regulatory approach since 1972 when the Council (now Board) requested the government to put forward names of public representatives to sit on the Complaints Committee. A year later, the first-ever public representative served on a committee. In 1986, the government appointed two members of the public to the Council. The number of public representatives on the Council was later increased from two to five in 1994. Under the current Health Professions Act, six of 15 board members are appointed public members.
Having a mix of physicians and members of the public on our Board and committees has been invaluable in helping CPSBC modernize and better serve British Columbians. In recent years, that diversity of skill, perspective and experience has assisted in the development of practice standards, supported our efforts towards cultural safety and humility, and informed recent innovative pathways for licensure to address our province’s resourcing challenges.
As envisioned by Harry Cayton, the objective of the HPOA is to transform how health regulators fulfill their public protection mandate. First and foremost, we must protect the safety of patients, prevent harm, and promote the health and well-being of society as a whole.
Board members will continue to have a fiduciary duty to CPSBC and the public. Equal professional and public representation will give the public confidence that this fiduciary duty will be executed without any real or perceived conflicts of interest. Within this new framework, I am committed to continuing our efforts to support physicians and surgeons in meeting high standards in medical practice and increasing public confidence in how our profession is regulated.
Patrick Rowe, MD, CCFP (EM), FCFP
Registrar and CEO
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