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- Volume 5 Issue 1 February 2019
Registrar
Brian O’Riordan
Registrar
This issue of ex.press offers you important new information on the following to assist you to better serve your patients as a self-regulated health professional, including:
In addition, under “College Updates”, you will find news about how the College is taking steps to better engage the public in our regulatory work and how this is an important focus of our new 3-year Strategic Plan and our work with the Citizen Advisory Group (CAG).
You can also learn how the College recently honoured the services of Vicky Papaioannou (AUD), Randi Fisher (SLP) and Sandi Singbeil (SLP).
To find out more about these and other topics, click all sections and articles.
Finally, we welcome to Council a new Public Member – Robert Metras of Cambridge, Ontario.
Enjoy and keep warm!
In 2019, CASLPO is marking 25 years as a health professionals regulator!
Much has changed over the past 25 years, but our priority remains ensuring public trust. We do this through the regulation of members.
Stay tuned for announcements of topics of interest and activities via email, social media and the web to celebrate our 25th Anniversary.
Spread the news... share our achievements, what we do, and the advantages of regulation...because, ensuring public trust matters.
We sincerely thank our publicly-appointed and elected Council members, Ontario`s audiologists and speech-language pathologists, stakeholders, and staff. Together, guided by our founding principles and our mission, everyone has worked hard to advance progress in support of protecting the public.
Find out more at caslpo.com/25years / pour en savoir plus: caslpo.com/25ans
Communications Manager
Lisa Gibson
Communications Manager
The Federation of Health Regulatory Colleges of Ontario (FHRCO) sponsored a booth at the Zoomer Show October 27-28, 2018. The purpose was to raise awareness of Ontario health regulators and to promote the public website with its links to all the Colleges’ websites.
FHRCO Communication Committee, along with a few College practice advisors volunteered to participate on-site at the booth.
The Zoomer Show Toronto is a consumer and lifestyle show for the attendees aging 45+ and it provides the attendees with insights on travel, money, health and fitness, retirement and reinvention. References to the show were posted on OntarioHealthRegulators.ca site and Facebook page (@OntarioHealthRegulators) as well as the FHRCO website.
Website demonstrations were given to booth visitors using two laptops simultaneously. The public register was a big hit. The public were generally pleasantly surprised to learn that this information is at their fingertips.
A draw for a $100.00 gift card drew in the crowd and a bookmark was given to them containing the website address and a listing of all the health colleges in Ontario.
Booth volunteers reported a constant flow of booth traffic throughout the two days. We estimate that over 600 people stopped to learn about the website. Many said that they would share the information and the bookmarks with their friends and family.
More of the public is now aware of Ontario health regulators, the website and the understanding that they have the ability to easily access trustworthy and up-to-date information about the Colleges and the health professionals they regulate, all from one place. The public was appreciative for creation of a website, and for the public protection the Colleges provide.
CASLPO Staff Volunteers at Ontario Health Regulators Booth at scheduled time slot(s).
Alex Carling, Director of Professional Practice and Quality Assurance;
Lisa Gibson, Communications Manager
Formal presentations were made at the September 28, 2018 Council meeting to past Council Members, Randi Fisher, academic member (SLP), Sandi Singbeil, Professional Member (SLP) and Vicky Papaioannou, Professional Member (AUD) for their significant years of service.
Bob Kroll, (SLP), CASLPO President, Randi Fisher, Academic Member (SLP), Brian O’Riordan, Registrar
Randi was presented with a certificate “in recognition of outstanding contributions to furthering the mission of the College and fulfilling its mandate and objects relating to the regulation of the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology in Ontario, in the pubic interest”.
Randi Fisher served for two three-year terms on Council as an Academic Member. She served on many committees of Council, including serving as Chair of two committees, Registration and Patient Relations. In addition, Randi assisted in coordinating visits of CASLPO staff to Western University to speak to students.
Randi has given of herself as a Speech-Language Pathologist for over 40 years. She joined Western in 1987 where, for many years, she has been a Clinical Supervisor, focusing on voice and articulation. Professional Practice issues have always been a special interest for Randi and she has taught many courses in this area. In the early 1990s, Randi also served on the Board of The Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (OSLA) in the Professional Affairs portfolio. We honour Randi’s great years of service to the College and the very rich contributions she has made as Chair, Committee Member and Council Member.
Bob Kroll, (SLP), CASLPO President, Sandi Singbeil, Professional Member (SLP), Brian O’Riordan, Registrar
Sandi was presented with a certificate “in recognition of outstanding contributions to furthering the mission of the College and fulfilling its mandate and objects relating to the regulation of the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology in Ontario, in the pubic interest”.
Sandi served with us on Council for nine years. Her travels to our meetings from her home in Dryden provided us all with many colourful anecdotes over the years. Sandi’s dedication to the work of Council was also underlined when she sometimes faced serious health challenges, but always found a way to keep in touch and meet her Committee and Council responsibilities.
Sandi never hesitated to share her insights about practising in North-Western Ontario and the unique challenges and opportunities that presented. Her unique lens has been invaluable for all of us.
Sandi sat on many committees of Council, including: SLP Practice Advisory, Discipline, Patient Relations (which she chaired for several years), and, most recently, the Executive Committee. Sandi has been a Speech-Language Pathologist since 1997 and after working for several years in Wisconsin, she came to Dryden and has worked there since 2002.
Bob Kroll, (SLP), CASLPO President, Vicky Papaioannou, Professional Member (AUD), Brian O’Riordan, Registrar
Vicky was presented with a certificate “in recognition of outstanding contributions to furthering the mission of the College and fulfilling its mandate and objects relating to the regulation of the professions of audiology and speech-language pathology in Ontario, in the pubic interest”.
Vicky, for the past nine years, served on Council representing District 2, Central Ontario. Vicky has spent her entire career at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, working in the Audiology and Cochlear Implant Program.
She is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and has served as a Clinical Supervisor for Audiology students from across Canada and the United States.
Like Randi and Sandi, she is a very busy professional. So, the fact that, like them, she has also made the time to give so much of herself to service at CASLPO, is greatly appreciated by all of us. Vicky first served at CASLPO as a peer assessor and a Non-Council Professional Member.
At Council, she served on the Audiology Practice Advisory Committee, Patient Relations and Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee. She was the first Chair of our Finance Committee and served on the Executive Committee as a Vice-President and, for three terms, as President.
Vicky has helped shape many of our most important College documents, policies, By-laws, regulations, budgets and strategic plans.
Please join the College in congratulating Sandi, Randi and Vicky on these significant accomplishments!
Click here for upcoming dates, instructions for attendance and past meeting information.
Deputy Registrar
CASLPO Council has approved the College’s new direction for 2018 to 2021! We will engage all who may inform our work. We will respond by changing programs and policies to regulate with the right touch. Finally, we will seek opportunities to harmonize regulation across Canada.
CASLPO is confident the results of this strategic plan will have a lasting, dynamic and positive impact on how we regulate our members to protect Ontario’s people.
If you’d like to read more please click here.
Carol Bock, Deputy Registrar
Lisa Gibson, Communications Manager
The Citizen Advisory Group was formed over two years ago as a patient feedback mechanism for the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, the regulatory body for physiotherapists practicing in the Province. A partnership of other health regulators was formed, and these Partners are able to obtain valuable advice and insights from the CAG.
The CAG consists of patients (or caregivers) who:
The group has expanded to include 15 Colleges that work under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) and who are keen to better engage patients in their work.
College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario
College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario
College of Denturists of Ontario
College of Massage Therapists of Ontario
College of Medical Laboratory Technologists of Ontario
College of Medical Radiation Technologists of Ontario
College of Naturopaths of Ontario
College of Nurses of Ontario
College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
College of Opticians of Ontario
College of Optometrists of Ontario
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario
Ontario College of Pharmacists
The Citizen Advisory Group meets twice a year in facilitated, day-long meetings typically held in downtown Toronto at the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario. The group is asked to provide their feedback and insight on issues such as:
Some of the issues the CAG has tackled so far:
Yes, the CAG is always looking for new participants.
CAG participants are passionate about patient-centric care and want to make a difference.
Potential CAG participants, with either personal or caregiver experience with a health care professional or the profession in general, whether it be in private clinics, OHIP clinics, long-term care homes, hospitals, or nursing homes, are encouraged to consider joining the Citizen Advisory Group. The objective is to ensure that a truly broad range of patients are represented and that their experience is heard.
Potential participants have the opportunity to express interest, here.
We are pleased to introduce you to CASLPO’s new public member, recently appointed to serve on Council for 2019.
Robert Metras is a seasoned business leader who has worked as a senior marketing executive in insurance and technology sectors in Canada and the United States. He has experience in government and industry relations and has served in a federal minister’s office as a policy advisor as well as leading the public affairs portfolio for a health profession in Ontario. He has served on a variety of Boards and community organizations as well as being an elected municipal official. He also previously served on the Councils of CASLPO and the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO). He resides in Cambridge, Ontario.
To learn more about your College’s Council members, click here.
Director of Professional Practice and Quality Assurance
Alexandra Carling Ph.D.
Director of Professional Practice and Quality Assurance
The Government of Ontario made changes to the Health Care Consent Act 1996 (HCCA) in April 2018 regarding the confining of individuals in a care facility.
Capacity
4 (1) A person is capable with respect to a treatment, admission to or confining in a care facility or a personal assistance service if the person is able to understand the information that is relevant to making a decision about the treatment, admission, confining or personal assistance service, as the case may be, and able to appreciate the reasonably foreseeable consequences of a decision or lack of decision. 2017, c. 25, Sched. 5, s. 56.
(2) The confining of a resident may be included in a resident’s plan of care only if all of the following are satisfied:
1. There is a significant risk that the resident or another person would suffer serious bodily harm if the resident were not confined.
2. Alternatives to confining the resident have been considered, and tried where appropriate, but would not be, or have not been, effective to address the risk referred to in paragraph 1.
3. The method and degree of confining are reasonable, in light of the resident’s physical and mental condition and personal history, and the method and degree are the least restrictive of the reasonable methods and degrees that would be effective to address the risk referred to in paragraph 1.
4. A physician, registered nurse or other person provided for in the regulations has recommended the confining.
5. The confining of the resident has been consented to by the resident or, if the resident is incapable, by a substitute decision-maker of the resident with authority to give that consent.
6. The plan of care provides for everything required under subsection (3). 2017, c. 25, Sched. 5, s. 6.
Consent on incapable person’s behalf
54.5 (1) If a person is found by an evaluator to be incapable with respect to confining in a care facility,
(a) consent to confining may be given or refused on the person’s behalf by his or her substitute decision-maker in accordance with this Act; and
(b) the licensee shall take reasonable steps to ensure that the person is not confined in the care facility unless the licensee is of the opinion that the person’s substitute decision-maker has given consent on the person’s behalf in accordance with this Act. 2017, c. 25, Sched. 5, s. 60.
If you have any further questions regarding the HCCA or LTCHA, please contact the Practice Advice Team http://www.caslpo.com/members/resources/practice-advice
Alexandra Carling Ph.D.
Director of Professional Practice and Quality Assurance
The use of cell phones helps health professionals communicate and organize their professional and private lives effectively.
Increasingly, patients and families want contact information, including phone numbers, to text communications such as a cancellation, illness or if they are running late for an appointment.
Although such requests seem innocent, there are personal safety implications for audiologists and SLPs in providing personal cell phone information. Patients or families can start to communicate outside of work times and/or inappropriately. Finally, there is software that allows people to track where you are through your phone.
We have provided some recommendations to increase safety when communicating with patients and families.
Finally, we are including an Information and Privacy article to help you safeguard your patient’s personal health information on your mobile device.
Director of Registration Services
Colleen Myrie
Director of Registration Services
The Health Professions Procedural Code of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 requires information about suspended members to be made available to the public by each regulatory college.
The following individuals are currently under suspension for failing to pay their annual fees for 2018/2019 in accordance with section 24 of the Code:
First Name |
Last Name |
Registration Number |
---|---|---|
Sriram |
Boothalingam |
5814 |
First Name |
Last Name |
Registration Number |
---|---|---|
Christina |
Nelson |
2004 |
Steven |
McEvoy |
2687 |
Samantha |
Lewis |
6579 |
While under suspension:
1. The individual is not permitted to practice as an audiologist or as a speech-language pathologist in Ontario.
2. The individual is prohibited from using the titles “audiologist”, “speech-language pathologist” or “speech therapist” or a variation or abbreviation or an equivalent in another language in Ontario.
3. The individual is prohibited from holding himself or herself out as a person who is qualified to practice as an audiologist or a speech-language pathologist in Ontario.
4. The College will inform the individual’s last employer on record of the individual’s suspension.
5. A notation of the suspension appears indefinitely in the College’s public register.
In addition, the following certificates were revoked for failing to pay the annual fees for 2017/2018 in accordance with section 26 of Ontario Regulation 21/12:
First Name |
Last Name |
Registration Number |
---|---|---|
Stephen |
Prescod |
3475 |
First Name |
Last Name |
Registration Number |
---|---|---|
Juliet |
Samede Oni |
6159 |
Marie-Rachel |
Jodouin |
1646 |
Erin |
McSweeney |
5087 |
After a certificate has been revoked:
1. A notation of the revocation appears indefinitely in the College’s public register.
2. The former member must satisfy the following requirements for reinstatement to the College:
a. The former member must pay any applicable fees and penalties required by the by-laws.
b. The former member must satisfy the Registrar that he or she has corrected the deficiency or deficiencies that provided the grounds for the revocation of his or her certificate.
c. The former member must meet all of the requirements in force for the class of certificate of registration being reinstated on the day that the former member submitted their new application to the Registrar.
Audiology Advisor and Manager of Mentorship
Samidha Joglekar
Audiology Advisor and Manager of Mentorship
The College was pleased to host a group of professional members on November 20th and 21st, 2018 for a pilot of the new Mentorship Self-Assessment Tool (MSAT). Audiologists and speech-language pathologists who participated reflected on their recent experiences in mentorship, as either mentor or mentee, while testing and evaluating the usability of the new online tool.
The development of an online Mentorship Self-Assessment Tool is part of a larger College objective to enhance and update the Mentorship Program. CASLPO’s Mentorship Program has been in place since 1994 and is an important component of both the Registration and Quality Assurance processes of the College.
We sincerely thank our members for their participation and valuable feedback! The launch of the MSAT is planned for the late Spring of 2019.
Colleen Myrie, Director of Registration and Tijana Simic (SLP) work through a task. |
Ricky Chow (AUD) experiments with the tool. |
Carol Bock, Deputy Registrar points out features to Kathryn Santa Ana (SLP). |
Joanne Ticker (SLP) captures her feedback for staff. |
Alexandra Carling Ph.D.
Director of Professional Practice and Quality Assurance
In 2017, the Quality Assurance (QA) Committee piloted a Non-Clinical (NC) Peer Assessment process that is based on the NC Self-Assessment Tool (NC-SAT) and the current peer assessment. By adding this process, the College can show the public that all general and academic members are meeting the standards, developing learning goals and pursuing continuous learning in order to provide quality service.
Previously, non-clinical general and academic members would be deferred when selected for peer assessment.
Currently, 5% of the membership identify as non-clinical, which means they have no patient intervention. They typically comprise:
The NC Peer Assessment process was piloted and trialled in 2017 and 2018. All participating members were found to meet the standards. The QA committee wanted the peer assessors and the pilot members to consider what would constitute ”needs work to meet the standard”. This task was completed, helping both the peer assessors and the QA committee to make decisions.
The participating members also commented that they would like more examples of “evidence” for each professional standard indicator. These were added to the 2018 NC Peer Assessment Guide.
The NC Peer Assessment process has now been adopted by the College. It is based on the current peer assessment process; the only difference is with the Professional Standards section. Non-Clinical members do not have patient records, so the peer assessors do not have to do a site visit to review the records.
Process:
1. Members upload one or two pieces of evidence for each indicator in the NC-SAT to show that they are meeting the professional standards
2. Peer assessors who have a non-clinical role review the evidence
3. Teleconference/webinar interview, approximately two hours in length
– Discussion of the evidence
– Discussion of 3 CASLPO documents
– Review of learning goals and continuous learning activities
4. A report is submitted to QA committee for their review
Stay tuned for future exciting changes to the Quality Assurance Process. If you have any questions about the NC Peer Assessment process or any other part of the Quality Assurance Program, please contact:
Alexandra Carling,
Director of Professional Practice and Quality Assurance
[email protected]
Alexandra Carling Ph.D.
Director of Professional Practice and Quality Assurance
We want to add a new type of forum to connect with you, the members. Ask us to come to your place of work to discuss information and issues that are important to you.
The College values member outreach. It provides us with an opportunity to update you with new information, learn about your work environment, answer your questions and participate in good discussions.
Every year we travel to one site in the north and one in the south to meet members for CASLPO Forums. We also provide topic specific e-Forums via webinar which are recorded and uploaded to the website.
Don’t forget you can document CLACs for the Forums.
We look forward to hearing from you. Please contact:
Alexandra Carling,
Director of Professional Practice and Quality Assurance
[email protected]
Preeya Singh
Director of Professional Conduct
Preeya Singh
Director of Professional Conduct & General Counsel
Beginning in 2015, the College’s Public Register of Members; including all regulated audiologists and speech-language pathologists, has been enhanced to promote transparency of information to the public. The Public Register contains information about a member’s registration with the College, including their registration number, practice locations and any additional languages spoken. Information about cautions delivered in person and specified continuing education or remediation programs directed by the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee also became available for cases which began on or after January 1, 2016. Disciplinary findings are also available via the Public Register and the College's website.
The Public Register must now contain information about a member’s criminal offence history. So, what does this mean?
Information respecting charges, findings of guilt and/or bail conditions made under the Criminal Code (Canada) and the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (Canada) about a member, when known to the College, must be reflected on the Public Register. This change affects all regulated health care professionals and came into effect May 1, 2018.
Changes were made to the College’s bylaws in 2015, which required similar information respecting offences. While this might appear to be an overlap with the May 1, 2018 changes, the 2015 bylaw required information of a federal, provincial or other offence be posted if:
The key difference now is that: Information respecting criminal offences (under the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drug and Substances Act) are not limited by when offences occurred or the Registrar’s belief.
These changes reflect the growing desire of the public to know who their health care provider is. This desire further reflects the trust that is involved in a therapeutic relationship. Simply, patients want to know who they are placing their trust in.
Members should also be aware that the legislative changes permit the removal of information from the Public Register in the event of a record suspension ordered by the Parole Board of Canada, a pardon of the conviction, or if an overturned conviction is obtained. If you have questions about this, or whether you are required to report information about an offence to the College, please contact us at [email protected].
Consider sharing an experience about either your practice setting, technology usage or innovative programs implemented.
Email Lisa Gibson, Communications Manager for more information.