Proposed changes to Scope of Practice for Regulated Health Professions under the Health Professions and Occupations Act

The BCCFP and CFPC support family physician-led team-based care aligned with the Patient Medical Home (PMH) vision, which enables all health professionals to work to the top of their scope while recognizing their defined roles and competencies. However, we are clear in our letter: scope expansion is not a substitute for sustainable system design.

While some proposed changes appropriately align scope with existing training and may reduce duplication, others — particularly those involving expanded prescribing authority, diagnostic authority, and imaging referrals — introduce significant concerns related to continuity of care, patient safety, system capacity, and accountability.

Importantly, expanding scope across multiple health care professionals does not address the underlying driver of access challenges in British Columbia: a lack of attachment to a longitudinal family physician.