The Fitness to Practise Committee determines whether a nurse is incapacitated, and if so, what action may be necessary to protect the public.

According to the law, incapacitated means that a nurse is “suffering from a physical or mental condition or disorder that makes it desirable in the interest of the public that the member’s certificate of registration be subject to terms, conditions or limitations, or that the member no longer be permitted to practise.”¹

If a nurse is found to be incapacitated, the committee can revoke or suspend their certificate of registration (for an indefinite period of time), or have specific terms, conditions or limitations attached to it.

Referrals to the committee can be resolved with a hearing, or with an agreement (also known as an undertaking) where the nurse formally agrees to comply with appropriate medical treatment and/or practice in accordance with specified terms.

Fitness to Practise hearings are closed to the public and Committee decisions are not published. However, a note will be added on CNO’s public register, Find a Nurse, to indicate if the nurse is allowed to practice, and if so, what restrictions are in place to protect the public.

The Fitness to Practise Committee has established rules and practice directions that govern the hearings process.

¹ Refer to Section 1(1) of the Health Professions Procedural Code of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.