The Minister of Citizens’ Services released a Ministerial Order on March 30, 2020, regarding the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) to support public organizations to access available tools/technologies to continue service delivery and communication during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The order is in effect until June 30, 2020, at which point it may be reviewed.
College registrants are asked to read our Practice Guidance on Telehealth for further information.
Staff at the College of Occupational Therapists will work remotely as of March 18, 2020, following the recommendations of health authorities.
We do not expect any disruption of our services to the public or registrants. To the best of our efforts, business will continue as usual.
Regular office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are doing our best to answer phone calls between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Voice messages will be returned as soon as we are able to.
Visit our contact page for a list of staff email addresses. We encourage you to visit our COVID-19 resources web page, our Facebook page and Twitter feed for updates.
Please see https://cotbc.org/covid19/.
All registrants are asked to read the latest update from Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer. We will provide further updates as we receive them.
Your appointment with Ms. Jones wraps up. She reaches into her handbag and pulls out a box of chocolates. They are your favourite – salted caramels! Smiling, she passes them to you and says, “Thanks for all the you have done for me! I would be lost without your ongoing support.”
Who doesn’t love a box of chocolates?! You can almost taste them but something is making you feel a bit “twitchy.” Should you accept them?
Tough question and sadly one where there isn’t always an easy “black and white” answer. Our colleagues at the College of Physical Therapists of BC (CPTBC) highlight that, “It’s important to be aware that whenever a gift is accepted, it comes with a degree of risk… The therapeutic relationship with the [client] exists for one purpose only – to provide services for the benefit of the [client]… Accepting gifts can lead to the perception that there is a personal or reciprocal relationship, as opposed to a professional relationship between the [client] and therapist.”
This situation is often more common during the holiday season. During this time or anytime, refresh yourself on the Conflict of Interest Practice Standards which include a risk assessment and management framework. You can also ask yourself the following questions:
• Will your professional judgment be influenced by accepting the chocolates?
• Will your client misunderstand the nature or boundaries of your relationship, if you accept?
• Would you be happy to disclose to your boss or colleagues that you accepted them?
As cautioned by CPTBC, “No gift is risk free, and often the ‘strings attached’ are not visible until later.” By pre-emptively assessing risk factors such as: your client’s vulnerability and culture, your familiarity with your employer’s policies, and existing workplace social norms, you might feel better prepared to take action in your client’s best interests. Sometimes, you might choose to accept a small token gift given a cultural risk of declining and then mitigate the risk by sharing the gift with your team. Other times, you might decide to graciously acknowledge the gift, politely decline, and reinforce the message that “your thanks is thanks enough.”
Reference:
College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia. (2018). Ask your practice advisor. Retrieved from https://cptbc.org/physical-therapists/practice-advice/
Earlier today, the Ministry of Health outlined its proposal for modernizing B.C.’s health regulatory framework. This proposal came in response to recommendations made by Harry Cayton in his report, An Inquiry into the College of Dental Surgeons and the Health Professions Act, which was released in April 2019. The report, Modernizing the provincial health profession regulatory framework: A paper for consultation provides for proposed changes in four key themes:
With the release of this report, the government is seeking input from the public, regulators and other stakeholders. The 45-day consultation period will run until January 10, and the COTBC will prepare our own response and recommendations for government.
We encourage registrants and stakeholders to review the report and share any comments with the COTBC Registrar &CEO, Kathy Corbett at kcorbett@cotbc.org
