Failure to Suspend Staff Following Alleged Abuse Incident
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to implement its written abuse prevention policy and procedure by not suspending two Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) who were involved in an alleged abuse incident. According to the facility's policy, any employee suspected of abuse should be immediately removed from resident care and suspended pending the outcome of an investigation. However, the Director of Nursing (DON) acknowledged that the CNAs were not suspended as required by the policy, despite being aware of the allegation and the policy's stipulations. This deficiency affected all 94 residents in the facility, as the failure to suspend the involved staff placed all residents at risk of abuse. The incident specifically involved a resident with diagnoses including schizophrenia and cerebral infarction, who was cognitively intact but dependent on staff for daily care activities. The Registered Nurse Supervisor confirmed that staff involved in abuse allegations should not be allowed to work until the investigation is complete, but this protocol was not followed in this case.