Regulated Health Professions Act

Summary of Legislation

The Regulated Health Professions Act of Ontario provides a framework for regulating the scope of practice of 23 health professions in Ontario, under their respective regulatory Colleges. It includes a general Act, a Procedural Code for all the regulated health professions, and profession-specific Acts.

Certain acts are prohibited under the Act but exceptions are made for routine activities of daily living, such as those needed by participants on the Direct Funding Program. Below are a few excerpts from the Regulated Health Professions Act, which can be found in its entirety on the Service Ontario website.

PROHIBITIONS

Controlled acts restricted

27. (1) No person shall perform a controlled act set out in subsection (2) in the course of providing health care services to an individual unless,

• (a) the person is a member authorized by a health profession Act to perform the controlled act; or
• (b) the performance of the controlled act has been delegated to the person by a member described in clause (a). 1991, c. 18, s. 27 (1); 1998, c. 18, Sched. G, s. 6.

Controlled acts

(2) A “controlled act” is any one of the following done with respect to an individual:

• 5. Administering a substance by injection or inhalation.
• 6. Putting an instrument, hand or finger,
• i. beyond the external ear canal,
• ii. beyond the point in the nasal passages where they normally narrow,
• iii. beyond the larynx,
• iv. beyond the opening of the urethra,
• v. beyond the labia majora,
• vi. beyond the anal verge, or
• vii. into an artificial opening into the body.

Exceptions

29. (1) An act by a person is not a contravention of subsection 27 (1) if it is done in the course of,

• (e) assisting a person with his or her routine activities of living and the act is a controlled act set out in paragraph 5 or 6 of subsection 27 (2).

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