MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
The goal would be that candidates for President are selected based on their suitability for the role , not whether they are public members or physicians .
of late as a result of Bill 87 , the Protecting Patients Act . Bill 87 sends the clear message that a stronger public presence is necessary to ensure transparency in regulation . Currently all of the College ’ s statutory committees and panels , including those involved in complaints and discipline , must have at least one public member present at all deliberations . In our submissions to government , we have been clear that the public member perspective is of great value and benefit to this organization .
College members should understand that we have also said that physician expertise must be retained . Many of our committees – Quality Assurance ; Inquiries , Complaints , and Reports ; and Registration , specifically – require strong professional representation in order to accurately and appropriately assess the issues before them : to assess risk , appropriate standards of practice , and suitability of qualifications and training .
I am confident that physician representation will always be a key part of medical governance , but it is also increasingly apparent that the drive to modernize regulatory governance will see changes , and lots of them . It is important for this College and its members to be a part of bringing in these changes , rather than find ourselves in the position of reacting to the realities of a new era .
Recently , the College of Nurses of Ontario ( CNO ) gave us a peek at its vision for regulation . Hoping for enactment by 2020 , the CNO envisions an appointed board , much smaller in size ( 12 members versus the current 39 ), and made up equally of nurses and public members .
The CNO task force charged with the mission of developing the new vision describes its benefits : “ A small board intentionally structured to bring different perspectives , composed of members possessing governance competencies , and provided with additional perspectives through feedback from Advisory Groups and stakeholder engagement , will be able to raise and discuss these diverse perspectives more effectively .”
This may not be the vision for this College , but it challenges us to consider our future governance . How do we wish to select members of our Council ? However selected or elected would a smaller competency-based board better serve our mandate ? Much depends on feedback from government , the public and the professions as the health regulatory colleges of Ontario consider the future .
Within the next year , we will have a new Registrar . He or she may – or may not – be a medical doctor . What is known , however , is that this person must continue our current Registrar ’ s work in championing openness and transparency . Dr . Rocco Gerace ushered in a new age of regulation , and distinguished the College as a respected leader in professional regulation . As health-care regulation evolves and societal expectations change , Council will work closely with our new Registrar in ensuring that we continue to be fit for purpose .
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Dialogue Issue 2 , 2017