Failure to Immediately Separate Staff Accused of Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to immediately separate a staff member accused of alleged abuse from contact with dependent residents. On the morning of 11/19/25, a maintenance supervisor observed a resident in a wheelchair with two dining room chairs placed behind the wheelchair, restricting the resident's ability to move backward. The maintenance supervisor reported the concern to the Assistant Director of Nursing (ADON) during a Quality Assurance meeting later that morning. The ADON acknowledged the concern but did not notify the Administrator, initiate an investigation, or separate the accused staff member from residents. As a result, the staff member continued to work full shifts on both 11/19/25 and 11/20/25. The incident was not reported to the Administrator until the afternoon of 11/20/25, after which the Administrator learned that the staff member had not been suspended or separated from residents. Facility policy requires that any employee accused of resident abuse be placed on leave with no resident contact until the investigation is complete. The failure to follow this policy resulted in the accused staff member maintaining resident contact for nearly two days after the initial allegation was made.