Duty to report guide

Per the Health Professions Act, RSBC 1996, c.183 (HPA), a registrant of a regulated health profession has a duty to report another registrant to their regulatory college in the circumstances described below.

These sections of the HPA specify that this report must be made to the subject registrant’s college; it does not refer to the registrant’s employer, supervisor, or health authority. While you may also choose or be obligated to report to these people and organizations, this legislation requires that you must make a separate report to the registrant’s regulatory college.

Making your report

Your report should be made to a deputy registrar of the ºÚÁÏÉç. While you may choose to contact the deputy registrar via phone prior to making your report, the HPA requires that it ultimately be received in writing.

Your written report should cover the following information:

  1. The name of the registrant being reported.
  2. The names of other physicians, clinics, hospitals, or health authorities involved.
  3. Any related correspondence.
  4. A specific statement of your concerns.
    • For section 32.2 concerns, include:
      • “I believe Dr. ____’s continued practice could constitute a danger to the public because:â€
      • a description of the event or events prompting the report
    • For section 32.3 concerns, include:
      • hospitalization date and reason (e.g. psychiatric care, treatment for substance use)
      • a description of the event leading to the hospitalization
      • initial diagnosis, prognosis and expected duration of hospitalization
      • opinion on current fitness to practice
      • name of MRP who will be providing ongoing care and discharge summary
    • For section 32.4 concerns, include:
      • the nature of the sexual misconduct
      • the source of your knowledge, such as:
        • the physician themselves
        • the patient
        • social media
        • another physician
  5. If you are making a report on behalf of a colleague/third party and did not witness the conduct directly, include any statements from the person(s) who witnessed the conduct.

Does it involve patients? See what you need to include in your written report under patient involvement.

The legislation that provides a common regulatory framework for health professions in BC
Practice standards and professional guidelinesarrow_right_alt
Legislative guidance on navigating legislation applicable to duty to report
Duty to report a health issuearrow_right_alt
What to do if you have a concern about yourself or a colleague's fitness to practise