Licensee engagement

From September 2025 to January 2026, CPSBC conducted a two-phase consultation process involving licensees, key health partners and members of the public to gather feedback on proposed revisions to the Availability and Coverage practice standard (formerly Care Coverage Outside Regular Office Hours).

As part of this process, CPSBC launched a licensee survey aimed at assessing the clarity and practical applicability of the revised standard. Overall, licensees found that the revised standard was clear and easy to understand, with strong support for clarified provisions related to temporary absences, voicemail use, and follow-up of critical test results. However, respondents noted some important caveats, underscoring the need for clearer operational guidance to support implementation in practice. To help address this, CPSBC is developing a new online course for licensees that will present several case studies and demonstrate how the practice standard applies in each situation.

This consultation closed on October 25, 2025. Feedback was provided by a total of 1,128 licensees. The new Availability and Coverage practice standard was approved by the board on February 20, 2026. Revised FAQs have also been published together with the practice standard. 

Engagement report

In September 2024, CPSBC conducted a registrant-wide survey on proposed revisions to the Access to Medical Care Without Discrimination practice standard. This was part of an 18-month engagement process, which also involved input from key audiences identified using an equity framework. 

Through literature review, community engagement, registrant surveys, and consultations with health partners, CPSBC identified key barriers faced by equity-deserving populations and gathered feedback on how the standard could be improved. Community groups reported negative experiences with the health system and highlighted the need for trauma-informed, patient-centred care, while registrants expressed uncertainty around expectations related to language services, uninsured patients, and pronoun use. In response to the feedback, CPSBC made the following revisions to the practice standard:

• Removed potentially stigmatizing language, including broad labels like “marginalized” and “vulnerable,” as well as the term “comply,” which can imply blame or judgment toward patients.
• Removed specific expectations on language interpretation, forms, insurance needs, and the use of pronouns. Additional guidance on these topics is now provided in a dedicated FAQ.
• Added a section on creating an inclusive practice environment. While requirements for specific accommodations were removed and placed in the FAQ, a broader section was added to emphasize the importance of fostering an inclusive and accessible practice.
• Removed “conscientious objection must not interfere with the provision of routine or urgent services” to eliminate confusion regarding rights to object.
• Removed the section on urgency of access, and revised the "refusal to accept a patient" section for greater clarity. Feedback from registrants indicated that the previous standard created unrealistic expectations to see patients in non-urgent situations, similar to emergency care. Additionally, it was acknowledged that particularly after an initial visit, it is not always feasible to find an alternative provider for the patient.

 Engagement report

In June 2023, the College sought input from registrants on the awareness and application of the newly endorsed practice standard: Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility, and Anti-racism.

Evaluation report

In April 2023, the College sought feedback on proposed revisions to the Care Coverage Outside Regular Office Hours practice standard. Revisions were made to include nurse practitioners (NPs) as members of a call team. 

The College heard from registrants that there are many benefits of including NPs in the call team, however, there were also some questions raised regarding NPs scope of practice and payment model. 

Further analysis is now being done by the College.

The second consultation on consent to treatment sought feedback from registrants and key health partners on revisions that were made to the draft practice standard after the first consultation to address aspects of informed consent related to vulnerable patients.

To do so, the College conducted an in-depth engagement process, holding focus groups with registrants and other health-care professionals who work with patients who may experience challenges with the consent process. The College also sought feedback on a draft registrant resource which highlights key considerations brought forward during the engagement process and areas in which there may be challenges. The consultation closed on February 10, 2023. A total of 88 registrants shared their feedback.

The new Consent to Treatment practice standard and accompanying Consent to treatment – Equity considerations registrant resource were approved by the executive committee on April 14, 2023.