In keeping with provincial legislation and regulation aimed at helping Ontario’s health regulators protect patients from sexual abuse by healthcare professionals, we have adopted a zero-tolerance philosophy when it comes to sexual abuse of a patient.
Any report of sexual abuse by a regulated pharmacy professional is taken very seriously. It does not matter if the contact is otherwise consensual – any form of sexual contact between a patient and a pharmacy professional is considered professional misconduct.
We want to help you understand why reporting an allegation of sexual abuse is important and what you can expect when you do.
Definition of Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse of a patient by a regulated healthcare professional is defined as:
- Sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual relations between a regulated health professional and the patient.
- Touching, of a sexual nature, of the patient by a regulated health professional, or
- Behaviour or remarks of a sexual nature by the regulated health professional towards the patient.
How to Report Sexual Abuse to the College
Please contact the College at 1-800-220-1921 ext. 3800 or by email at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can submit a formal complaint through our online complaints form.
When you contact us, a staff member will provide you with details on how to share your information. They will also ask for your contact information. You cannot provide information anonymously.
Once we have received your report or formal complaint, you are eligible to apply for funding for therapy and counselling.
Investigation Process
If you agree, a College investigator will contact you to explain the process further and answer any questions you may have. They will ask to meet with you for an audio and/or video recorded interview at your convenience. You will be asked to describe the details of your experience with the pharmacy professional involved. They will ask you to share any documents or other evidence you have related to your concerns such as emails, text messages, audio/video recordings and photographs. Any information you share will form part of the College’s investigation.
The investigator will also gather additional information which may include interviewing witnesses and collecting supporting documents. College staff prioritize these investigations.
The results of the investigation will be reported to the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC). If you filed a formal complaint, a copy of the decision will be provided to you.
What is the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC)?
The ICRC is the College committee responsible for reviewing investigations of complaints and reports. Its membership is set out in the College’s By-Law and includes both pharmacy professionals and members of the public who have been appointed to the College’s Board of Directors by the provincial government.
The ICRC conducts a thorough review of the results of each investigation and decides one or more of the following outcomes:
- Refer specified allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence to the Discipline Committee for a hearing
- Take no action
- Issue advice/recommendations to the pharmacy professional
- Require the pharmacy professional to appear before a panel of the ICRC to be cautioned
- Require the pharmacy professional to undergo specified continuing education or remediation
- Refer the pharmacy professional to another panel of the ICRC to conduct health inquiries
Investigation Outcome
If you filed a formal complaint, you will receive a copy of the ICRC’s decision.
Certain outcomes are posted to the College’s public register. For example, if the ICRC requires the pharmacy professional to attend for a caution or to undergo remediation, a summary of that decision will be posted to the public register. If the ICRC makes a referral to the Discipline Committee, information about their referral will be posted to the public register. The information posted on the public register contains no personal identifying information. You can check the College’s public register at any time to see if such information has been posted about the pharmacy professional.
Discipline Hearings
The ICRC may choose to refer their concerns to the Discipline Committee. This means that the ICRC has serious concerns about the pharmacy professional’s conduct.
The Discipline Committee conducts hearings publicly, similar to a courtroom. Learn more about how the Discipline Process works.
You may be called as a witness to participate during the hearing.
What to expect during a discipline hearing
- The Chair of the Discipline Committee appoints a panel to conduct the hearing. The committee’s membership is set out in the College’s By-Law and includes both pharmacy professionals and members of the public who have been appointed to the College’s Board of Directors by the provincial government.
- Depending on the specific circumstances of the case, it may be necessary for you to be a witness and give testimony. If this happens, the College’s legal counsel will be in touch with you in advance of the hearing.
- The College will do everything possible to support the prosecution of your case throughout the hearing. The College’s legal counsel, while acting in the public interest as they carry out their duties, cannot provide you with legal advice. If you feel you need legal advice, you may wish to obtain your own lawyer.
Funding for Therapy and Counselling
The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 requires the College to establish a program to provide funding for therapy and counselling for a person who, while a patient, was sexually abused by a pharmacy professional.
You can apply for funding through the College’s Patient Relations Program to help pay for therapy or counselling services at any time after the College has received a report or a formal complaint of sexual abuse by a pharmacy professional. Funding for therapy and counselling is provided directly to your therapist.
Learn more about applying for funding for therapy and counselling.