Failure to Address Resident Council Grievances on Call Light Response
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that grievances raised by the resident council regarding delayed call light response times were acted upon and promptly addressed. Multiple resident council meeting minutes documented ongoing concerns about excessive wait times for call lights to be answered, particularly during the night shift. Residents reported that CNAs, including registry staff, were either not responding to call lights or were turning them off without addressing residents' needs. Despite repeated documentation of these concerns in resident council meetings, there was a lack of evidence that effective in-services or corrective actions were implemented in a timely manner. Only one in-service related to call light response was provided after several months of ongoing complaints, and there was no documentation of the content or attendance for most of the supposed interventions. Confidential interviews with residents confirmed that long wait times for call light responses persisted, with some residents reporting waits of up to several hours, especially at night. Residents expressed frustration and a sense that their care needs were not a priority. Facility administrative staff acknowledged ongoing issues with CNA performance and oversight, particularly on the night shift, and confirmed that management interventions had been limited. The deficiency centers on the facility's failure to address and resolve repeated resident council grievances about call light response times, as required by facility policy and resident rights regulations.