Failure to Answer Incoming Calls After Hours
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to answer incoming phone calls after 8:00 PM, as evidenced by six documented unanswered calls made by surveyors between 9:34 PM and 10:28 PM. Observations showed that each nursing station was equipped with multiple desk phones and a portable phone, and three nurses were present at each station during the observational tour. According to the Administrator, after 8:00 PM, calls are routed directly to the nursing stations, where nurses are responsible for answering them. However, during the times in question, no staff responded to the incoming calls. Interviews with staff confirmed that calls for residents are typically transferred to a portable phone and brought to the resident. The facility's policy states that employees must treat residents with kindness, respect, and dignity, and that residents have the right to communicate with people and services both inside and outside the facility. The failure to answer calls after 8:00 PM had the potential to affect all 159 residents in the facility at the time of the survey.