Failure to Provide Safe and Orderly Discharge for Resident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide a safe and orderly discharge for a resident who was subject to an emergency discharge following allegations from two other residents that the individual possessed a firearm and had made threats. The resident, who had diagnoses including unspecified paraplegia, a stage III pressure ulcer, chronic pain syndrome, malnutrition, morbid obesity, bipolar disorder, and neuromuscular bladder dysfunction, left the facility without signing out and was later refused re-entry. Despite multiple attempts by the social worker to secure alternative placement and community resources, no emergency housing or LTC facility would accept the resident, and the resident was unavailable to participate in discharge planning. When the resident returned to the facility, staff, following instructions from administration and police, did not allow entry and called law enforcement. Police searched the resident and found no weapon. The resident was given discharge paperwork, a face sheet, a medication list, and routine medications (excluding narcotics), but was not provided with a safe discharge destination or arrangements for ongoing wound care. The resident's belongings were packed in trash bags and placed by the dumpster, and the resident left the property in a wheelchair without a coat or transportation, ultimately spending two days in a car before being hospitalized for a stomach infection. Interviews with staff, the Ombudsman, and police confirmed that the resident was discharged without a safe destination, and that the facility's discharge notice inaccurately listed a destination. The resident did not take any belongings with him, and staff were unclear about his whereabouts after leaving. The facility's own policy required advance preparation for discharge, including assistance with transportation and ensuring a safe discharge location, but these steps were not followed in this case.