Upcoming consultation on draft regulation changes to enable expanded scope of practice

The Ministry of Health has announced a series of proposed changes that would expand scopes of practice for a number of healthcare professionals. As part of these changes, the Minister asked the College to draft enabling regulations that would:

• authorize pharmacists to assess and prescribe for 14 additional minor ailments including:
  1. sore throat (acute pharyngitis)
  2. calluses and corns
  3. headache (mild)
  4. shingles (herpes zoster)
  5. acute insomnia
  6. fungal nail infections (onychomycosis)
  7. swimmers’ ear (otitis externa)
  8. head lice (pediculosis)
  9. nasal congestion (viral rhinitis, rhinosinusitis)
  10. dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis)
  11. ringworm (tinea corporis)
  12. jock itch (tinea cruris)
  13. warts (Verrucae – vulgaris, plantar; excluding face and genitals)
  14. dry eye (xeropthalmia, dry eye disease)
• authorize pharmacists to administer injectable partial opioid agonists and antagonists (specifically, buprenorphine)
• enable pharmacists to provide additional routinely administered vaccines not currently listed in Schedule 3 of General Regulation 256/24 under the Pharmacy Act, 1991.
• enable pharmacy technicians to administer all vaccines listed in Schedule 3 of General Regulation 256/24 under the Pharmacy Act, 1991.

The College has also been asked to consult on the ordering of laboratory and point-of-care tests by pharmacists to support the implementation of minor ailments assessment and prescribing.

The College is now in the process of preparing to post the draft regulations and corresponding schedules on its website for a 60-day public consultation period following the Board’s approval of the draft regulation changes. The Board approved these changes during an in-camera discussion held at the conclusion of the public Board meeting on September 16^th to respect a communication embargo at the Minister’s request which was in effect until September 17^th. Please watch for notification of the consultation which will be posted on the College’s website early next week. The College will also be sharing the draft regulations with the Ministry of Health for their own consultation purposes.

Following the consultation, the Board will be presented with final regulation changes for approval at its December 8, 2025, public meeting and will submit the final regulations to the Minister by December 10, 2025. The College will bring to the Board additional details on proposed safeguards as expanded scope moves forward and will advise the Minister on an appropriate timeline to ensure a safe and effective implementation.

Please watch for details on the upcoming consultation in the coming days.