Failure to Provide Written Notice Prior to Room Change
Penalty
Summary
A resident was admitted to the facility and initially placed in a private room. Approximately one week later, after returning from a shower, the resident found staff collecting his belongings and was informed that he was being moved to another room. The resident reported that he was not notified in advance of this decision and did not sign any acknowledgment regarding the room change. This unexpected move caused the resident to feel upset and confused. A review of the resident's clinical record by the Social Services Director confirmed there was no documentation of written notification provided to the resident about the room change, nor was there a documented reason for the move. The facility's policy and procedure require that residents receive timely, written notice—including the reason for the change—prior to any room or roommate assignment changes. The policy also states that such information should be documented in the resident's medical record. These steps were not followed in this instance.