Delayed Reporting of Alleged Abuse Incident
Penalty
Summary
A deficiency occurred when the facility failed to ensure that an allegation of abuse was reported immediately, but not later than two hours after the allegation was made, as required by facility policy and state regulations. Specifically, a Certified Nurse Aide reported to a Registered Nurse that they witnessed another aide slap a resident across the face in the shower room. The Registered Nurse did not report this allegation to the supervisor or administration, stating they became busy and had no other excuse. As a result, the incident was not reported to the Administrator or the New York State Department of Health until four days later, when the aide who witnessed the event reported it to the unit manager, who then informed the Administrator. The resident involved had diagnoses including dementia, anxiety, and type 2 diabetes, with severe cognitive impairment and required substantial assistance with bathing. At the time of observation, the resident was alert only to self and showed no visible injuries. Interviews with staff confirmed that the required reporting process was not followed, with both the Registered Nurse and supervisor acknowledging that the incident should have been reported immediately according to policy. The delay in reporting resulted in non-compliance with the facility's abuse reporting requirements.