Collaborating with Regulated Health Care Professionals

CPSM continues to hear concerns regarding the transfer of patients to emergency and urgent care departments.  

These concerns are further compounded by a misinterpretation of the Standard of Practice – Collaborative Care (the Standard), which outlines the expectations of physicians making the referral.

The standard states, “If you are referring a patient to an emergency department or urgent care, you must phone the emergency or urgent care physician to communicate pertinent information and confirm they accept care.”

This obligation is on the physician making the referral.

It does not mean emergency or urgent care physicians should limit their interactions to other physicians only.

• Referrals can be from other regulated healthcare professionals responsible for coordinating the care of a patient.
• In settings where there is no physician available and patient care requires escalation, physicians at emergency or urgent care should not refuse or dismiss calls requesting referrals coming from other healthcare providers.

We are aware that patients are not being transferred and getting the care they require because requests from nursing stations are not being received. This creates a barrier to equitable care for patients in these communities.

As we examine where and why gaps in medical care between Indigenous people and other Manitobans exist, these instances have come to our attention. They need to be pointed out so that we can learn from them, hold ourselves accountable, and evaluate what we can do to improve health outcomes.

Equitable Care

As we move toward implementation of the Standard of Practice – Practicing Medicine to Eliminate Anti-Indigenous Racism, medical practitioners will be accountable for behaviours that hinder equitable care or compromise ethical standards.  

Read more on the expectations of referring physicians when transferring a patient to an emergency department or urgent care.

Read more about the expectations for physicians who are asked to accept patients to emergency or urgent care. 

Supports

There are supports to guide self-reflection for improvement where necessary.

If you have not already taken training in Indigenous cultural safety and anti-Indigenous racism, there has never been a better time. All CPSM registrants will be required to take one of four approved trainings by October 31, 2027. Learn more about the mandatory cultural safety and anti-Indigenous racism training requirement for registrants. 

Additionally, the Restorative Practices Program will be launching soon. It will provide a mechanism allowing registrants, whether self-identified or referred by colleagues or health professionals, to start with a conversation with a medical consultant and CPSM staff to enhance their understanding and application of the Standard of Practice – Practicing Medicine to Eliminate Anti-Indigenous Racism. Read more about the Restorative Practices Program.