Failure to Distribute Resident Mail on Saturdays
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that residents had timely access to their mail and privacy in their communications, as required by resident rights. Specifically, mail delivered to the facility on Saturdays was not distributed to residents until the following Monday. This practice was confirmed during a confidential resident council meeting, where all residents present stated they did not receive mail on Saturdays, even if it arrived. Multiple staff interviews corroborated that weekend mail was placed in a drawer and held until Monday for distribution by the social worker or activities department, rather than being delivered to residents on the day of arrival. A review of the facility's Resident Mail Policy indicated that mail delivered for residents should be given to the Activities Department and hand-delivered to resident rooms on the day of delivery. However, staff interviews revealed a lack of clarity and adherence to this policy, with some staff unaware of the requirement to distribute mail on Saturdays. This resulted in a failure to provide residents with their mail in a timely manner and did not uphold their right to privacy and access to communication.