Failure to Investigate Alleged Physical Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to thoroughly investigate an allegation of employee-to-resident physical abuse in a timely manner. A resident reported that a licensed nurse twisted his arm and took away his cat food, an incident witnessed by a certified nursing assistant. The resident stated he informed the Director of Nursing (DON) about being physically hurt and expressed that he no longer wanted the nurse to care for him. The resident also contacted the police and made a report regarding the alleged abuse. Despite being made aware of the allegation, the DON did not conduct a complete investigation, relying instead on information from a police officer who stated the resident had recanted the story and that no police report would be made. The DON did not confirm this with the resident, nor did she document this information or interview other potential witnesses, such as the resident's roommate. The facility's policy requires immediate and thorough investigation of abuse allegations, including interviewing all involved parties and documenting the process, which was not followed in this case.