According to two audits conducted by BC’s Auditor General, two provincial harm reduction programs that were meant to reduce the number of people dying from toxic drugs have been ineffectively implemented.
The ministries responsible for these programs are the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, and the Ministry of Health.
These audits were done independently of one another, according to the Province.
The first audit examined the implementation of overdose prevention and supervised consumption services, while the second one focused on how the initial phase of the prescribed safer supply program was launched and subsequently monitored.
The audits were also meant to determine if the programs did their due diligence in including the perspectives of health authorities, Indigenous Peoples and those with lived or living experience with substance use.
“Many thousands of people in BC are grieving the losses of family and friends from the toxic drug supply,” said Auditor General Michael Pickup.
“The crisis is also an immense challenge for those working to provide care and support for people who use substances. My team and I have a deep sense of empathy for everyone who has been touched by this continuing tragedy.”
Audit of overdose prevention and supervised consumption services
The audit of this particular program found four holes in the implementation and is offering recommendations for each.
The Auditor General suggests that the ministries involved:
- Had not adequately responded to implementation barriers, such as municipal resistance, site selection and challenges related to the hiring and retention of staff
- Had no minimal service standards to support consistency in the quality, access and availability of services
- Had not adequately reflected on consultations with Indigenous people and people with lived and living experience of substance-use
- Need a new program evaluation, given the evolving nature of the health emergency
“These deficiencies have impacts on the people who need these services, their families and the health-care system,” Pickup said.
“Overdose prevention and supervised consumption services are critical to saving lives and connecting people to the supports they need.”
According to the Province, five recommendations offered by the Auditor General are aimed at getting better service, accessibility, availability and cultural safety of overdose prevention and supervised consumption services in BC.
Prescribed safer supply
The Auditor General found that the involved ministries didn’t effectively monitor the initial provincewide implementation of prescribed safer supply because:
- Their strategies didn’t adequately address key implementation barriers, such as the lack of prescribers and the limited types of available drugs
- Better collaboration is needed between the ministries and health authorities, health sector partners, Indigenous Peoples and people with lived and living experience
- Public reporting was lacking.
“This is a novel program that required transparency with key partners to build trust,” Pickup said.
“We found that the ministries’ approach to collaboration with health-sector partners and public reporting was insufficient.”
Two recommendations were offered to the ministries regarding public reporting and addressing barriers.
According to the Province, the ministries have accepted all seven recommendations from the two audits.
