Failure to Ensure Background Checks for Agency Staff
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that staff working at the facility, specifically those employed through a nursing scheduling agency, were properly screened prior to beginning work. Review of personnel files and interviews revealed that two registered nurses from the agency began working at the facility before their background checks were completed. There was no documentation available to confirm that background checks had been conducted for these agency staff members. The facility's policy requires that all potential employees, including contracted temporary staff, undergo background, reference, and credentials checks, with documentation maintained as proof of screening. Interviews with facility personnel indicated confusion regarding responsibility for completing and reviewing background checks for agency staff. One staff member stated that the facility is responsible for background checks, while the HR representative believed the agency was responsible per their contract. Despite this, HR acknowledged that she had not reviewed all background checks for agency staff scheduled to work at the facility. As a result, the facility was unable to provide any documentation confirming that the required screenings had been completed for the agency staff in question.