Colleges, Boards and Commissions
Last updated on September 13, 2022This section contains relevant information regarding regulatory colleges, boards or commissions established by statute or regulation associated with professional regulation and oversight.
Regulatory Colleges
The following health profession regulatory colleges have been delegated the authority under provincial legislation to govern the practice of their registrants in the public interest. Their mandate at all times is to serve and protect the public.
The primary function of the colleges is to ensure their registrants are qualified, competent and following clearly defined standards of practice and ethics. All colleges administer processes for responding to complaints from patients and the public and for taking action when it appears one of their registrants is practising in a manner that is incompetent, unethical, illegal or impaired by alcohol, drugs or illness.
- British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives
- British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals
- College of Chiropractors of British Columbia
- College of Dietitians of British Columbia
- College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia
- College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia
- College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia
- College of Opticians of British Columbia
- College of Optometrists of British Columbia
- College of Pharmacists of British Columbia
- College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia
- College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
- College of Psychologists of British Columbia
- College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of British Columbia
- College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of British Columbia
Boards and Commissions
Boards and commissions currently operating are described below. These public bodies are established by statute or regulation and are mainly appointed by the Minister or Order in Council.
Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board
The Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Board is a tribunal created under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act to hear and decide appeals from licensing, registration and certification decisions about community care facilities, assisted living residences and early childhood educators.
Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board
The Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board is responsible for examining, registering and licensing all emergency medical assistants in B.C., including first responders. The board, under the authority of the Emergency Health Services Act, sets licence terms and conditions. In addition, the board investigates complaints and conducts hearings where necessary.
Health Professions Review Board
The Health Professions Review Board is an administrative tribunal created under the Health Professions Act to provide an independent review of certain decisions made by the self-governing colleges of designated health professions regarding the registration of their members and the timeliness and disposition of complaints made against their registrants.
Hospital Appeal Board
The Hospital Appeal Board is an independent, quasi-judicial appeal tribunal created under the Hospital Act to provide medical practitioners with an avenue of appeal from hospital board of management decisions affecting hospital privileges.
Medical Services Commission
The Medical Services Commission manages the Medical Services Plan in accordance with the Medicare Protection Act and Regulations. The responsibilities of the commission are two-fold: to ensure that all B.C. residents have reasonable access to medical care; and to manage the provision and payment of medical services in an effective and cost-efficient manner.
Mental Health Review Board
The Mental Health Review Board is an independent tribunal created under the Mental Health Act to conduct hearings to review and decide whether persons certified / detained at any mental health facility in B.C. should continue to be certified / detained based on criteria in the act. The board’s function is to make sure patients who are certified by physicians and detained involuntarily in provincial mental health facilities have access to an objective and timely review process.
Patient Care Quality Review Boards
The Patient Care Quality Review Boards are six independent review boards created under the Patient Care Quality Review Board Act. They receive and review care quality complaints that have first been addressed by a health authority's Patient Care Quality Office, but remain unresolved. The boards may make recommendations to the Minister of Health and the health authorities for improving the quality of patient care in British Columbia.