Failure to Conduct Pre-Employment Reference Checks
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement its abuse policy by not completing reference checks on employees before their start date. This deficiency was identified for five out of ten employees reviewed for new hires. The facility's Abuse Policy, dated September 1, 2024, mandates that verification of references should be conducted on potential employees before they begin working with residents. However, upon review of personnel files, it was found that Employees #3, #6, #8, #9, and #10 did not have evidence of reference checks conducted prior to their employment start dates. During interviews, the Human Resources Director confirmed that the facility's hiring policy requires all new hires to have completed reference checks before their first day of employment. The Licensed Nursing Home Administrator, along with the Director of Nursing and Regional Director of Operations, acknowledged the missing pre-employment checks when interviewed by the survey team. The failure to conduct these checks was a violation of the facility's policy and the New Jersey Administrative Code.
Plan Of Correction
1. The U.S. FOIA (b) (6) was in-serviced by the Administrator on ensuring Reference Checks prior to hire or documenting if unable to obtain. 2. All residents have the ability to be affected by this deficient practice. An audit was done on all current employee files to ensure reference checks were completed with no further concerns identified. 3. The Administrator provided in person education to Department Heads and the Human Resource Director pertaining to documents required upon hire, per policy. 4. The Human Resources Director will audit all new hire files weekly for four weeks and then Monthly for two months. The Human Resources Director will submit to the Administrator the status of all New Hire Reference Checks for the past month at Monthly QAPI meeting for three months and then at Quarterly for the next three Quarters.