Failure to Distribute Resident Mail on Saturdays
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents had timely access to their mail, specifically on Saturdays. Interviews with staff revealed that while mail was delivered to the facility on Saturdays, it was not distributed to residents until the following Monday. The Receptionist, who was responsible for mail distribution, worked primarily Monday through Friday and confirmed that mail received on Saturdays was stored in the admissions office until she returned. The Admissions Coordinator and Business Office Manager corroborated that no one sorted or delivered mail to residents over the weekend, and the mail remained in the office until the start of the workweek. The facility's policy required daily mail delivery on days mail was received, but this was not followed in practice. A confidential resident reported during a group meeting that they never received mail on Saturdays, which was attributed to the absence of front office staff on weekends. The Administrator acknowledged that mail delivered on Saturdays should be distributed the same day and was unaware of the current process. Attempts to contact the weekend clerical staff for clarification were unsuccessful. The facility's failure to distribute mail on Saturdays resulted in residents not receiving their mail in a timely manner, as required by their rights.