Medication Carts Left Unlocked When Unattended
Penalty
Summary
Staff failed to ensure that medication carts were locked when unattended, as required by professional standards and facility policy. On multiple occasions, staff members left medication carts unlocked while stepping away or attending to residents, including on the dementia unit where an LPN left the cart unattended with residents nearby. The LPN acknowledged that the cart should have been locked, and other staff, including the Medicare Coordinator, Interim Assistant Director of Nursing Services, and Director of Nursing Services, confirmed that the expectation was for carts and computer screens to be locked when unattended. Additional observations revealed that another medication cart was left unlocked while an LPN was working with a resident and then walked away to the nurse's station. The LPN also acknowledged that the cart should have been locked. These incidents were directly observed and confirmed through staff interviews, demonstrating a failure to maintain secure storage of medications as required.