‘We are in a mess’: Changes to Winnipeg home-care scheduling causing backlash

New changes for home care scheduling are creating challenges for nurses and families. CTV’s Danton Unger reports.

Changes to home-care services in Winnipeg were meant to improve client care, but Manitoba’s Nurses Union says it’s done just the opposite—creating a mess for both clients and nurses.

Eric De Schepper is still waiting for improvements to the home-care system in Winnipeg—a system he says failed the love of his life.

“I see the same systemic failures being repeated,” he told CTV News.

READ MORE: ‘I’m running on fumes’: Staff shortages leave stage 4 cancer patient struggling for home care

In February 2023, his partner Katherine Ellis died while battling stage 4 cancer. Despite qualifying for requesting service, the couple waited weeks for home care that only arrived days after her death.

A 2023 review of her case found breakdowns in communication, policy, and procedure and highlighted gaps in the system that led to delays. It made 21 recommendations to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) to ensure something like this wouldn’t happen again.

Since then, De Schepper—a veteran and former systems analyst—has advocated for improvements.

But so far, he said little has been done.

“What I would like to see personally is a collective and collaborative effort to resolve these systemic issues that have been plaguing the home and healthcare system for over a decade,” he said.

The WRHA told CTV News earlier this year it implemented what it described as a key recommendation from the 2023 review—centralizing home care scheduling into one office.

The change aimed at providing 24/7 coverage of home care scheduling to better align with the 24/7 operation of home care services and ensure continuity of care for clients, the WRHA said in an email.

But the Manitoba Nurses Union said the change has been fraught with issues.

“We are in a mess. Clients are not receiving care. Families are upset. Clients are upset. Nurses are upset, and we need to get this sorted,” Union President Darlene Jackson told CTV News.

Jackson said previously home care schedulers were located in different quadrants of the city, in the same office space as the nursing resource coordinator and nurses who provided care in that area.

She said now schedulers have been pulled into one central office, leading to a breakdown in communication between schedulers, home-care workers and clients.

“We’re seeing a lot of clients that are having visits dropped, or there are no-shows, and they have no idea why,” she said.

In response to these concerns, the WRHA said it has ‘onboarded’ 32 new scheduling clerks and brought in more staff and management resources from across the region. It is also reviewing and updating processes and procedures that aren’t working for staff and clients.

“While the implementation of the new scheduling system has faced some challenges, we are fully committed to improving the program and delivering the care that clients and their families, as well as staff deserve,” a spokesperson said in an email.

De Schepper, who has been left disappointed with the current system, said he’s written a letter to Manitoba’s Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, urging them to take action.

“I hope this time my plea will be taken seriously,” he said. “Because that’s all it is. It’s a plea. It’s me as a citizen reaching out and saying, ‘Listen, I see a problem here. Can we please do something about it?’”

The minister was not available for an interview, but a spokesperson provided a written statement to CTV News. In it, they confirmed the minister had received De Schepper’s letter and are grateful for his feedback.

“We take Mr. de Schepper’s concerns seriously and are committed to continuing to listen to his and other patients’ insights, as well as other feedback from front line home care aides, nurses and office staff, as we work to strengthen our healthcare system,” the statement reads in part.