Failure to Secure Smoking Materials and Enforce Smoking Policy
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a safe environment and did not implement its policy on securing smoking materials for one resident. Observation revealed that the resident, who had multiple medical diagnoses including fractures, COPD, diabetes, heart failure, and hypertension, kept a pack of cigarettes and two lighters in a clear plastic bag attached to the bedside table. The resident confirmed during an interview that they kept their cigarettes and lighter in the room and stated that staff did not object to this practice. Further observation showed the resident moving independently in a wheelchair and inquiring about missing cigarettes, indicating unsupervised access to smoking materials. The facility's policy requires that residents with independent smoking privileges are not permitted to keep smoking materials or lighters in their possession and that these items must be secured by nursing personnel except during supervised smoking times. The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed that it is the facility's responsibility to ensure smoking materials are locked up and only distributed during scheduled smoking breaks, with staff responsible for returning them to secure storage afterward. Despite this policy, the resident was able to keep and access smoking materials unsupervised, constituting a failure to follow established safety procedures.