Failure to Verify Previous Employment During Staff Screening
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to fully develop and implement procedures to screen new employees in accordance with its abuse prohibition policy. Specifically, a review of the facility's policy required obtaining references from the most recent or previous employer as part of the screening process for potential employees. However, personnel files for four out of five recently hired employees showed no documentation that the facility had contacted their most recent former employers to verify eligibility for employment in a long-term care setting. During interviews, the Nursing Home Administrator confirmed that there was no evidence the facility attempted to obtain information from previous or current employers regarding the employees' past work history. This lack of verification was found for a porter, two LPNs, and a nurse aide, all of whom had listed previous employers on their applications. The facility did not follow its own policy, resulting in a deficiency related to employee screening and abuse prevention.