Nurses are Encouraged to Review and Incorporate HPOA Anti-discrimination Principles Into Their Practice

The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) came into effect on April 1, 2026, bringing an increased focus on protecting the public from harm and discrimination. As part of BCNU’s ongoing efforts to educate members about the new responsibilities outlined in the HPOA, members are encouraged to review these expectations and consider how they apply to their practice. As regulated health-care professionals, nurses play an important role in protecting the public from harm and discrimination and ensuring patients receive respectful, safe and equitable care.

 What does the HPOA mean for nurses?  

Understanding your responsibilities under the HPOA is an important step toward protecting the public and ensuring that discrimination has no place in health care. Anti-discrimination measures are a central part of the HPOA, which reinforces the importance of safe, equitable and respectful health care. For members, this includes: 

• Treating patients with respect and supporting their dignity, safety and well-being.  
• Fostering meaningful communication between patients and regulated health professionals.
• Recognizing and addressing discrimination in health-care settings, including practices and attitudes that perpetuate discrimination or create conditions in which it can occur

Members have a shared responsibility  

Members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with their obligations under the HPOA and applicable standards of the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM). To support ongoing learning and reflection, BCCNM offers resources on cultural safety and humility, including information about its actions and partnerships toward reconciliation, learning resources, and its Practice Standard on Indigenous cultural safety, cultural humility and anti-racism, which applies to all BCCNM licensees.