Failure to Train Staff on Behavioral Health Needs and Resident-Specific Interventions
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to ensure that staff members possessed the necessary competencies and skills to meet the behavioral health needs of residents, as evidenced by multiple incidents involving residents with behavioral health diagnoses. Staff did not receive adequate training on resident-specific behaviors and interventions, and there was a lack of education on how to access and implement individualized care plans. This deficiency was observed through staff inaction during escalating resident-to-resident altercations, where staff did not intervene or utilize care planned interventions to de-escalate situations, resulting in physical altercations between residents. Additionally, staff interviews revealed uncertainty and lack of knowledge regarding when to call behavioral crisis codes and how to access or apply resident-specific interventions. Several residents with complex behavioral health needs, including diagnoses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and impulse disorders, were involved in repeated incidents of aggression, verbal altercations, and physical assaults. In one instance, two residents engaged in a verbal and physical altercation while staff failed to intervene according to care plan interventions or call a behavioral crisis code in a timely manner. Staff members supervising the residents did not implement de-escalation techniques or follow the individualized interventions outlined in the residents' care plans. Documentation of these incidents was also lacking, with no investigation or nursing notes reflecting the altercations. Interviews with staff and residents further highlighted the deficiency, with staff expressing fear and lack of preparedness to manage residents with severe behavioral health needs. Staff reported not being trained on mental health interventions, de-escalation techniques, or how to access and apply care plan interventions. Residents reported feeling unsafe and stated that staff did not intervene until altercations became physical. The facility's failure to provide adequate training and education for staff on behavioral health needs and individualized interventions contributed directly to the incidents and ongoing unsafe environment for both residents and staff.