Regulation amendments presented at the Special General Meeting (SGM) held on March 24, 2025, have been accepted by the Minister of Health.
These approved amendments include the addition of virtual assessment and prescribing to section 21.12(1) of the Regulations, which now reads:
21.12(1) A pharmacist who undertakes prescribing for a condition listed in a list approved by Council shall assess the client in person or virtually at the time of prescribing.
This change aligns with the College’s goal of improving patient access to care while maintaining patient safety.
Additionally, approval was granted for an expanded scope of practice for select pharmacies in the province. This amendment permits pharmacists practicing within authorized pharmacies to assess and prescribe for the treatment of specific Council approved conditions. Currently, these conditions include asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and COPD.
At this time, the expanded scope applies only to the six clinic sites previously involved in the Pharmacist Care Clinic pilot projects. A list of these pharmacy sites, along with the Council approved conditions can be found in the Chronic Disease section on the Common Ailments webpage.
The approved amendments also include the addition of subsection 21.3(f), which permits pharmacists to prescribe pursuant to a Council-approved research or pilot project. This provision enables targeted testing and scaling of new pharmacist-led services in collaboration with health system partners. It also provides a pathway for Council to make evidence-informed decisions regarding future expansions to pharmacists’ scope of practice.
Please note: While subsection 21.3(f) has been approved, it is not yet implemented. The College, in collaboration with Council, is developing a process to approve assessments under this provision. Further updates will be provided once the implementation process is finalized.
An updated version of the Regulations can be found online.