Health Professions Discipline Tribunal Pilot

Health Colleges Work Together to Modernize Discipline Proceedings

Four Ontario health regulators: the Colleges of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASLPO), Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO), Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) have launched a pilot project to enhance the quality, independence and timeliness of discipline hearings while also reducing their cost.

The colleges are among the 26 regulators operating under a common legal framework, Ontario’s Regulated Health Professions Act. Their duty is to protect the public, making sure healthcare professionals are safe, ethical, and competent.

Background

In 2021, the CPSO undertook several transformative steps to modernize professional discipline. This included establishing the Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Discipline Tribunal (OPSDT) as the identity of the CPSO’s Discipline Committee and recruiting a full-time independent chair with expertise in tribunal leadership to lead both Tribunal operations and adjudication. Five experienced adjudicators with strong hearing management and mediation skills were appointed to the Tribunal following a competitive, merit-based recruitment process.

Drawing on the OPSDT model, the CMTO (starting March 1, 2023), CRPO (starting April 3, 2023) and CASLPO (starting May 1, 2023) are now participating in a one-year pilot project, the Health Professions Discipline Tribunals Pilot (HPDTP). Participating colleges share adjudicative leadership and other supports and collaborate on certain educational programming and administrative processes. This synergy avoids duplication and promotes best practices.

About the HPDTP

Pilot colleges have cross-appointed the OPSDT’s Chair and experienced adjudicators to their respective Discipline Committees. The Chair and experienced adjudicators provide adjudicative leadership and case management, chair hearing panels, lead case management conferences and write reasons for decision. They sit on five-member hearing panels with two registrants and two members of the public.

Over the first year, the Pilot participants will be evaluating the implementation of the model against its goals, including clearer and more accessible decisions, quicker and more streamlined hearings, and greater public confidence in the regulation of Ontario health professionals.

For more information on the pilot and discipline processes of the pilot participants, email tribunal@opsdt.ca or visit the participants’ websites: