PrintImprimer
Important New Provincial Orders
Posted: April 28, 2021
Publié le 28 April 2021
There are important updates for dietitians in hospitals and long-term care/retirement homes.
Dietitians in Hospital
Redeployment outside scope of practice to respond to, prevent and alleviate the outbreak of COVID-19
On Wednesday April 21, 2021, new orders were issued under the
Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, 1990 which authorize health care professionals in hospitals, including dietitians, to provide patient care services outside their regular scope of practice provided those services are necessary to respond to, prevent, or alleviate the effects of COVID-19.
While this order allows dietitians to work outside of scope without a delegation, dietitians are still required to work within their individual knowledge, skill, and judgment that they already possess or that they gain through training on new tasks. Hospitals are responsible for ensuring that staff members are only assigned tasks or asked to deliver services they are reasonably qualified to provide.
Hiring healthcare professionals out-of-province
These orders also enable hospitals to employ, contract, appoint or otherwise engage regulated health professionals from out-of-province without being registered in Ontario. Out-of-province dietitians are only permitted to work in a hospital setting and remain accountable to their provincial College for the work done in Ontario.
The new regulations made under the
Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, 1990 (EMCPA) are available to read here:
Dietitians in Long-Term Care/Retirement Homes
Restrictions lifted for dietitians who are fully immunized in long-term care and retirement homes allowing them to work in more than one setting.
The government has amended orders to exempt fully immunized long-term care home and retirement home employees from restrictions that prohibit them from working in more than one home, or in another heath care setting.
For the purposes of each order, a person is considered “fully immunized” against COVID-19 if:
(a) they have received the total required number of doses of a COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada; and
(b) they received their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days ago.
Directive 3 and the amended regulations are available to read here:
We appreciate this a difficult time to provide healthcare in Ontario. Thank you for the work you are doing to keep Ontarians safe.
We continue to monitor the situation and will continue to provide updates as needed. If you have any questions, please contact our Practice Advisory Team at
practice.advisor@collegeofdietitians.orgor
1-800-668-4990,
416-598-1725, ext. 397.