Failure to Immediately Report and Respond to Verbal Abuse by CNA
Penalty
Summary
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) was witnessed verbally abusing a resident with moderate cognitive impairment by responding to the resident's greeting with profane and derogatory language. The incident was observed by a receptionist, who did not immediately report the abuse to the Nursing Home Administrator or Social Worker as required by facility policy. Instead, the receptionist wrote a note and placed it under the Social Worker's door, which was not discovered until the following day. As a result, the CNA continued to work the remainder of their shift on the same unit as the resident, potentially exposing the resident and others to further abuse. The facility's policy mandates immediate reporting and investigation of abuse allegations, as well as protective measures for residents. However, the delay in reporting led to a failure to promptly initiate an investigation and to remove the alleged perpetrator from resident care duties. The investigation was not started until the day after the incident, and interviews to rule out further abuse were not conducted with all residents assigned to the CNA on the day of the incident. The resident involved recalled the incident but reported no adverse outcome.