COVID-19: Ontario emergency orders pave the way for more workers to help hospitals

Ontario has issued two new emergency orders that will help bring more health-care workers into hospitals overburdened by COVID-19.

One order allows workers to provide patient care outside their regular scope of practice, consistent with duties assigned by a hospital.

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The other allows out-of-province health care workers to practice in an Ontario hospital without registering with regulatory colleges in the province.

The government says the orders will allow staff from Ontario health facilities to be redeployed to hospitals and will also pave the way for out-of-province health workers to practice here.

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Ontario says it has received tentative offers of health-worker support from Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

The third wave of the pandemic has pushed Ontario’s hospitals to the brink, with facilities having to transfer patients between regions ad ramp down non-urgent procedures.