​Frequently Asked Qu​​est​io​ns

​The Health Professions a​​nd Occupa​​tions Act ​ (HPOA) will replace the Health Professions Act (HPA) on April 1, 2026.

Below is a list of questions we've received. Don't see the information you're looking for? Email communications@bccnm.ca. 

Will the HPOA change the scope of practice for health professionals?

The scopes of practice outlined in the professional regulations may look and read differently for many regulated health professionals as they were written to align with the HPOA. However, most health professionals’ scopes of practice are not changing, and regulated health professionals will still be permitted under the HPOA to perform the same activities they were permitted to perform under the HPA.

Information about how HPOA and regulation changes will impact the practice of health professionals is available on the regulatory health college websites.

Health professionals are called "registrants" in the current HPA, and "licensees" in the HPOA. Why the change?

Changing the term from “registrant” to “licensee” is intended to make it clearer to the public that health professionals regulated under the HPOA must have a license to practise their profession.

What are some key changes for health professionals in the HPOA?

Some changes under the HPOA that are specific to all regulated health professionals include:

• Expanded duties to report: Under the current Health Professions Act, regulated health professionals have a duty to report another licensee in cases involving danger t​o the public, hospitalization, or sexual misconduct. Under the incoming Health Professions and Occupations Act, this duty expands to include reporting concerns related to:

  • compliance,
  • fitness to practise,
  • ethical practice,
  • misconduct,
  • delegation,
  • cooperation,
  • giving notice, and
  • providing information to their regulatory college.  

These expanded duties in HPOA captures practice and ethical standards that health professionals are already expected to comply with. It gives regulatory colleges additional tools to address issues such as compliance and misconduct when licensees are not practising consistent with these duties.

• All colleges can take action when a licensee’s capacity is significantly impaired: The HPOA gives all regulatory colleges the authority and requirement to act when a licensee’s capacity (or health) is impaired to a level that makes it unsafe for them to practise all or part of their profession. Currently, under the HPA, only the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC has this authority.

• Extraordinary actions to protect the public: Under the HPA (Section 35.1), if the Inquiry Committee investigating a complaint believes there is an immediate risk to public safety, it may take extraordinary action to protect the public. What is referred to as extraordinary actions in the HPA (Section 35.1) is now called summary protection orders in the HPOA, with the processes essentially remaining the same.

​

What else is different in the HPOA compared to the HPA?

The HPOA establishes the Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office, a new, independent office separate from the Ministry of Health/B.C. government and regulatory health colleges. This new Office will oversee the regulatory colleges by promoting accountability, transparency, and accessibility in the public interest.

The Director of Discipline leads a discipline tribunal within the new HPOROO and is also independent of the Ministry of Health/B.C. government and the regulatory health colleges.

More information about the Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office and the tribunal is available on the HPOROO website.

​​

Are there any new requirements for my regulatory col​lege in the HPOA?

Regulators must adhere to guiding principles as set out in the HPOA (Sectio​n 14), including:

• Protect the public from harm and discrimination
• Support and promote awareness of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
• Address racism and anti-racism issues that are specific to Indigenous Peoples
• Take and promote anti-discrimination measures
• Act in a fair manner, including by demonstrating respect for the principles of procedural fairness
• Respect privacy.

The guiding principles also require health regulatory colleges to:

• Promote collaboration between themselves and between health-care providers
• Remove unnecessary barriers to licensure for practitioners from outside BC
• Act transparently and provide opportunities for meaningful public engagement.

While the HPOA’s guiding principles apply to regulators, health professionals are bound by duties outlined in the HPOA, as well as by bylaws, practice standards and other requirements determined by their regulatory college.​​​​

​​