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Who we are and what we do
The Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office (the Oversight Office) oversees 6 health professional regulatory colleges in British Columbia to ensure they act in the public interest. We were established as an independent office of government. under the Health Professions and Occupations Act (the HPOA).
The HPOA is the primary legislation that governs the regulation of health professions and occupations in the province. The superintendent of the Oversight Office has a responsibility to protect the public from harm and discrimination by providing independent, trusted and responsive oversight of the health professional regulatory colleges.
The Health Professions Discipline Tribunal (Discipline Tribunal) is housed within the Oversight Office and is led by the director of discipline. This independent body resolves, hears and decides on conduct and competence allegations against health professionals.
Our roles
Oversight
We evaluate the performance and conduct of the province’s health professional regulatory colleges to:
- Make sure they remain focused on protecting the public
- Promote consistency and best practices
- Ensure alignment with the HPOA’s guiding principles
Complaints
We accept complaints from anybody about:
- The performance or conduct of a health professional regulatory college
- The Health Professions and Occupations Act or its regulations
This Oversight Office cannot review or comment on matters that are before the Health Professions Review Board.
Designation assessments
The Oversight Office conducts risk-based assessments and consults the public and interested parties to identify if a new health profession or occupation should be regulated under the HPOA.
Board appointments
The Oversight Office runs a recruitment process to find and recommend people who are interested in serving as board members. We do this through:
- Recruiting people
- Assessing applicants
- Recommending board members to B.C.’s Minister of Health
Discipline Tribunal
Housed within the Office is an independent, effective and accessible Discipline Tribunal.
Who we regulate
The Oversight Office oversees 6 health professional regulatory colleges:
Legislation and regulation
The HPOA is the primary legislation that governs health professions and health professional regulatory colleges in B.C. The superintendent of the Oversight Office has authorities under the HPOA. As part of our work, the Oversight Office is responsible for identifying legislative and regulatory improvements to the HPOA and making recommendations to B.C.’s Minister of Health.
Policies and procedures
Our published policies and procedures communicate how we conduct our work.
Strategic plan
Our strategic plan serves as a road map for our collective vision, goals and strategies in the years ahead.
Read our strategic plan (coming soon)
Indigenous reconciliation
The Oversight Office is committed to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) Peoples. We follow anti-discrimination measures and take steps to prevent discrimination in our work.
News
Learn more about what’s happening at the Oversight Office.