Around the end of September, Patti Moss and Steve Clark began to notice that things were missing in the package of medical supplies delivered to her home.
The couple from Bradford have been managing Clark’s pain and treatment from home after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in August.
First, it was a syringe that was missing from a delivery of saline solution that Clark needs to keep him hydrated after receiving chemotherapy. Then, instead of a high-flow line needed to deliver the saline to Clark intravenously, a low-flow line was sent. Two weeks ago, the saline bags just didn’t show up.
Clark’s home-care nurse suggested Moss go to the local hospital and ask for some.
“Who can just walk into a hospital without a patient and say, hey, I need three one-litre bags of saline?” Moss says. “To get them, that would require me to take Steve in his condition into the emergency room, which is a very high-risk situation.”
Clark is one of many Ontario home-care patients going public with stories about medical supply shortages after the provincial government changed the way supplies are distributed in late September.
Under the old system, regions relied on local suppliers, such as pharmacies, that focused on smaller geographic areas. Now, there are a handful of providers responsible for delivering across the province.
In Clark’s case, when it was clear that his much-needed saline wasn’t going to arrive, his home-care nurse had to borrow some bags from other patients.
“Palliative care is about comfort, and worrying about not receiving post-chemo hydration, pain medication or the supplies to administer it is very uncomfortable,” said Moss.
In question period Tuesday, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said it is “completely unacceptable” that patients are not getting medical supplies and drugs they need. She said the government is working with Ontario Health atHome, the provincial agency responsible for delivering in-home and community-based care and services, “to make sure that any distribution issues are being dealt with expeditiously.
“We are working full-out every day to ensure that those vendors and those distributors are doing, frankly, exactly what they’re supposed to be doing, which is ensuring medical supplies and drugs get to the families and the patients that need them,” Jones added.
In an emailed statement, Ontario Health atHome said it takes any impact to its patients “very seriously” and understands the distress this is causing.
“We want to assure patients, their families, and health system partners that we are doing everything we can to address this situation and are continuing to look for opportunities to stabilize the delivery of these critical medical items,” the agency said, noting that a “special assistance team” from Supply Ontario has been brought in to help resolve issues.
Hyla Livingstone’s ability to walk is dependent on regular courier deliveries of a special compression system that promotes circulation in her legs.
Twice a week, a nurse arrives at her Richmond Hill home to wrap Livingstone’s legs from feet-to-knees with a foam base layer followed by an outer tension bandage to reduce swelling caused by myotonic dystrophy, a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle loss and weakness.
“If I don’t have them, after about a week I won’t be able to put any shoes on because they’re too swollen. My ankles get really bad and then walking becomes an issue,” Livingstone says.
At the beginning of October, she and her husband Rob Livingstone noticed that their regular deliveries simply stopped, even though her home-care nurse had been putting in orders. Last week, the couple received only one part of the system — just the foam base layer — which on its own is useless without the outer wrap.
It was only after their home-care nurse spent two hours on the phone that an emergency shipment of another bandage was made.
“We don’t know next week or in two weeks whether we’re going to have this same level of service and whether Hyla will be able to do the things she needs to do like go out and walk and things that are essential,” said husband Rob. “It’s introduced this uncertainty and fear of what’s going to happen and the fact that we don’t have any timeline of a resolution is also very concerning.”
The company that supplies his wife’s bandages, says Rob, is Bayshore Specialty Rx, one of the new provincial distributors. In a statement, the company said it is “acutely aware” of the impact recent supply shortages have had on the home health-care community.
“Bayshore deeply regrets the disruptions and distress this situation has caused patients, their families, and front-line health care providers. We understand that access to reliable, high-quality medical supplies is fundamental to safe and dignified care,” it said, noting that a “confluence of factors,” including unexpected stock issues, have impacted its fulfilment system.
The company said it is restoring and improving its tracking systems, dedicating additional staff to manage the distribution of urgent supplies and improving communications. It is also sourcing alternative supplies from various manufacturers to fill gaps, it added.
