Patients, families complain about visitation restrictions imposed by hospitals and long-term care homes

Patients and families unhappy with COVID-19's upending of Ontario's health system are making their concerns known to the province's Patient Ombudsman, the executive director of the office says.

Since early March, more than one third of all complaints to the office have been related to the pandemic, Craig Thompson said

Of 88 pandemic-related complaints received, one of the most oft-heard is about visitation restrictions imposed by hospitals and long-term care homes, Thompson said.

Hospitals have suspended visits to protect patients and health-care workers. Exceptions are permitted on compassionate grounds and on a case-by-case basis.

At the urging of Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, long-term care homes are only permitting "essential visitors" into their facilities. Visitors are deemed essential if they are seeing residents who are dying or very ill.

Thompson said some complaints are from loved ones who are unclear about the definition of an essential visitor.

Others are from family members who find themselves suddenly cut off from loved ones, he said.

"Some people have been very actively involved in the care of their loved ones so this is a big change for them," he explained, noting that it's not unusual for family members to make daily visits to long-term care.

"It's part of their life, it's how they want to support their loved one," Thompson explained.

"Things are moving fast and these restrictions happened quickly and people are caught unawares. It's really distressing for people."

Thompson said his office is letting family members know of other ways to keep in contact with loved ones, such as virtual and window visits.

Other complaints are about the availability of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) for health-care workers.There is a shortage of such equipment and it is being rationed. Rules around the type of equipment different professionals should wear have been evolving throughout the pandemic. They can differ from facility to facility.

"There is a lot of confusion about the PPE. Everyone is trying to become experts as to when and where they expect to see it," Thompson said.

Some callers are advocating on behalf of health-care professionals for more PPE.

Where appropriate, his office is referring inquiries back to the respective heath-care organizations for a response, a news release from the patient ombudsman's office said.

But response times to such inquiries may be slower because patient-relations staff from many organizations have been redeployed to assist with the pandemic response, it continued.

A reduction of home-care services has been a source of some complaints,Thompson said. Demands on this sector have increased as hospitals have discharged patients in an attempt to increase capacity for the surge of COVID-19 patients. That has left home-care providers spread thin with some patients receiving less service.

The patient ombudsman's office is working with organizations that coordinate homecare to resolve complaints.

Some have complained about the curtailment of placements into long-term care, a sector that has been hit especially hard by the pandemic.

There have also been complaints about COVID-19 assessments and testing.

Thompson said navigating the ever-shifting grounds of the health system during a public health emergency is a common denominator of many of the calls.

"People just want to know where to go to get support," he explained.

The position of the patient ombudsman has gone unfilled since Christine Elliott, the current health minister, vacated it about two years ago to return to politics. The provincial government launched a search for her replacement in January.

Theresa Boyle is a Toronto-based reporter covering health. Reach her at tboyle@thestar.ca. Follow her on Twitter: @theresaboyle