Failure to Maintain Supervision on Behavioral Health Unit Leads to Resident Altercation
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure adequate staffing coverage and supervision on the secure behavioral locked unit, resulting in an altercation between two residents. On the evening in question, a Certified Medication Technician (CMT) left the behavioral unit unsupervised to retrieve printed Medication Administration Records (MARs) due to an internet outage, leaving no staff present on the unit. During this period, two residents engaged in a verbal and physical altercation in the hallway, with one resident striking the other in the upper arm after a dispute over delayed medication administration. The residents involved had significant behavioral health diagnoses, including paranoid schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and major depression. One resident was moderately cognitively impaired, while the other was cognitively intact but had a history of agitation when routines or medication schedules were disrupted. The incident occurred after one resident became upset about not receiving medication on time, leading to a confrontation and subsequent physical contact. Interviews with staff and residents confirmed that the behavioral unit was left without staff supervision at the time of the incident. Multiple staff members, including the CMT, LPNs, CNAs, the Administrator, and the DON, acknowledged that the behavioral unit should never be left unattended and that at least one staff member should always be present. The facility was unable to provide a staffing policy at the time of the survey exit.