Message from the Board Chair and Registrar

The Nova Scotia Regulator of Physiotherapy (NSRPT) exists to protect the public and to regulate physiotherapy in the public interest. Our role is to ensure that physiotherapy care in Nova Scotia is safe, competent, and ethical, and that the public has confidence in how the profession is regulated.

The migration to the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) has strengthened our legislative foundation and clarified our responsibilities as a modern health professions regulator. This Strategic Plan sets out how NSRPT will carry out that mandate over the 2026–2028 period.

NSRPT regulates in a way that is fair, transparent, and proportionate to risk. We focus our efforts where public risk is greatest, support learning and improvement across the profession, and respond effectively when standards are not met. We also recognize that regulation must adapt as health care, professional practice, and public expectations evolve.

Our work is guided by the principles of Right-touch Regulation, developed by the UK Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. These principles help ensure that regulatory action is targeted, consistent, and aligned with the public interest. They are reflected throughout this plan and in the decisions we make as a regulator.

Over the next three years, NSRPT will complete key elements of RHPA implementation, strengthen competence and accountability frameworks, advance risk-based oversight, and demonstrate impact through clear public reporting. Success will be measured not only by what we do, but by the confidence Nova Scotians have in physiotherapy regulation.

As a small regulator, NSRPT values collaboration, evidence, and continuous improvement. We are grateful to registrants, public members, and partners for their engagement and commitment to public protection.
Together, we are strengthening a regulatory system that is modern, transparent, and trusted — one that protects the public and supports safe, ethical, and competent physiotherapy for all Nova Scotians.

Michael Sangster, NSRPT Board Chair

Mark Williams, Registrar and Executive Director of NSRPT