Failure to Ensure Resident Awareness and Access to Grievance Process
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents were fully informed about the grievance process, as required by its own policy. During a resident group meeting attended by 10 residents from both facility units, several residents reported not having seen any postings about the grievance process and were unaware of how to file a grievance except by informing a staff member. Residents indicated that grievance forms were not readily accessible, and there was confusion about the ability to file grievances anonymously. One resident mentioned possibly seeing forms near the elevator but was unsure, and did not know who the grievance officer was. The majority of residents present agreed with these statements. Observations during tours of the facility revealed a lack of postings about the grievance process and limited access to grievance forms. On the second-floor unit, grievance forms were found only in a wall-mounted holder outside the social worker's office, which was not easily accessible to all residents, and there were no instructions for anonymous submission. The third-floor unit had no postings or available grievance forms, and an empty folder labeled grievances was found at the nursing station. The social worker acknowledged the absence of necessary postings and forms, and stated that the process for anonymous grievance submission had not been considered.