Note: This article was originally published in our Winter 2020 edition of our On Call newsletter, and has not been updated.
Dear Midwives, Stakeholders and Members of the Public,
I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! As you may know, the World Health Organization has designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. I am delighted that the value of the work done by our registrants and their commitment to midwifery will be recognized and appreciated by various organizations throughout the year.
Since our last edition of On Call, the College completed a 60-day public consultation on the proposed changes to the Designated Drug Regulation. During that time, we heard from 77 respondents. We truly appreciate the time taken by all to voice their opinions. I can assure everyone that Council carefully considered all comments before making its formal submission to the Ministry by the December 31, 2019 deadline set by the Minister. Currently, the College is busy working on a formal response to members and we will include it with our upcoming consultation on the proposed changes to the Prescribing and Administering Drugs Standard.
As we wait for more information on next steps from the Ministry, we are working hard to create a support plan to provide all the necessary guidance for members to ensure a smooth transition, this includes a series of webinars hosted by the College to answer any questions you may have.
At our December Council meeting, a Strategic Planning Working Group was established to create the new three to five-year strategic plan for the College to be implemented in 2021. As Chair of the working group, I look forward to working closely with the other members and reporting and consulting frequently with all of Council throughout the year. In the end, we expect to have a strategic plan that is relevant, measurable and continues to steer the College in the right direction as we set out on this new decade.
As part of the College’s Public Engagement Strategy, the College made it a priority to increase public participation in its regulatory work. In the fall, a new process was created to appoint members of the public to our committees to include them as collaborators and decision-makers when it comes to the College regulating in the public interest. The College was successful in achieving this goal and I would like to welcome our two newest members, Samantha Heiydt and Jill Evans to our Committees. To see our Committee structure, please click here.
Sincerely,
Claire Ramlogan-Salanga