Hearing over missing opioids
Regulatory body accuses home care worker of taking narcotic from patient
A Saskatoon home care nurse who allegedly took 18 vials of a powerful opioid drug from a patient last year will face a disciplinary hearing by her professional regulatory body this fall.
In a notice of discipline hearing published online this summer, the Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses (SALPN) says it received a complaint that Natasha Janzen was guilty of professional misconduct.
According to the notice, Janzen “removed and diverted to (herself )” 10 vials of sufentanil from a patient — referred to as J.P. — on May 26, 2017. Janzen’s employment with the Saskatoon Health Region was suspended on June 15, 2017, and Janzen was told not to provide care or to visit any home care patients. Despite that, the document alleges Janzen contacted or visited J.P. on June 26, June 27, July 2 and July 3. Between June 26 and June 28, Janzen took eight vials of sufentanil from J.P.
“You failed to develop and maintain an appropriate professional relationship with the patient J.P.” the document reads.
It also alleges Janzen failed to make appropriate entries on the medication flow sheet, progress notes and daily data sheets for J.P. in the spring of 2017, that she didn’t follow appropriate procedures in securing and returning J.P.’S chart to her manager and that she visited J.P. on a day when she called in sick.
The notice of discipline hearing does not say why Janzen’s employment with the health region was suspended or how SALPN became aware of the thefts.
Lynsay Nair, SALPN’S executive director, said those details will likely come out at Janzen’s hearing — scheduled for Sept. 4 in Regina — and she could not comment further.
Last summer, the Saskatoon Police Service issued a public advisory about eight vials of sufentanil that had been stolen from a College Park home during a break and enter on June 27, 2017.
Police appealed to the public for information about the theft and warned that sufentanil is a powerful opioid drug that can be 10 times stronger than fentanyl.
“The drug may cause serious injury or death if taken,” police said at the time.
Peter Butt, an addictions expert with the University of Saskatchewan, told the Starphoenix last summer that sufentanil can be prescribed to someone experiencing significant pain, but such prescriptions are “uncommon.” He said most people would not survive injecting the stolen sufentanil; even people snorting more than 10 fentanyl pills a day would be at “extremely high risk” of overdosing if they injected themselves with a vial of the drug.
Kelsie Fraser, a spokesperson for the Saskatoon Police Service, said this week that no one was ever charged over the eight vials of stolen sufentanil.
“Because no charges have been laid, we would not be able to comment on who may or may not have been investigated,” Fraser wrote in an email.
“As for why no charges have been laid, there was not enough evidence to move forward with the investigation. However, as with all files, if new information comes to light, we would look at that and determine how best to proceed. We aren’t able to provide anyone to comment further.”
If a discipline committee finds Janzen guilty of professional misconduct, Janzen’s licence could be suspended and she could be asked to pay a fine as well as the costs of the investigation and hearing.
You (Natasha Janzen) failed to develop and maintain an appropriate professional relationship with the patient J.P.