Failure to Report and Investigate New Allegation of Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to follow its abuse policy by not reporting and investigating a resident's allegation of sexual abuse. The resident, who had diagnoses including paranoid schizophrenia and delusional disorder and was cognitively intact and dependent for transfers, expressed concerns of sexual abuse while hospitalized and requested a transfer to another facility. The hospital social worker and case manager both reported the resident's allegation, which was said to have occurred two to three weeks prior to hospitalization, to the facility. However, facility staff, including the Administrator and DON, did not report or investigate the new allegation, stating it was similar to a previous allegation made by the resident months earlier that had already been investigated. The facility's abuse policy requires immediate and thorough investigation of all abuse allegations and timely reporting to the appropriate authorities. Despite this, the facility did not initiate a new investigation or report the recent allegation, as required by their policy, because they considered it a repeat of a previously addressed concern. This failure was confirmed through interviews with facility staff and review of the facility's documentation and policies.