PrintUNA troubled by proposed sweeping changes to Alberta’s Health Professions Act
Response to government discussion paper
United Nurses of Alberta has responded to a discussion paper by the government of Alberta that proposes sweeping changes to the regulation of health professions without indicating why they are needed.
In a letter to Alberta Health, UNA First Vice-President Danielle Larivee said “there is little to no evidence provided as to why these changes are being recommended and what problem(s) they attempt to solve.
“Change of this significance should be based on formal, broad, and transparent consultation with affected stakeholders, evidence and best practices in the field of health professions regulation and detailed data and information regarding the challenges and problems that are encountered within the current model of health professions regulation in Alberta,” she wrote.
“Little of this was provided in the discussion paper that was shared with us for consideration.”
In addition, Larivee said, UNA questions the timing of a revision of such critical importance in the middle of a global pandemic. “Overall, UNA is concerned that many of the proposals seem to be an attack on the self-regulation model of health professions in Alberta with no basis for proposing such extensive changes.”
Describing the proposals as “huge government overreach,” Larivee continued, “this will create significant costs and red tape at a time when this government is professing to want to avoid both.”
United Nurses of Alberta represents more than 30,000 Registered Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses and allied health workers in Alberta.
Click on the link at right to read the entire letter.
