Failure to Report Allegation of Verbal Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of verbal abuse involving a resident who was alert, oriented, and had a history of malignant neoplasms and dementia. The resident reported to multiple staff members, including CNAs and an LPN, that she was being treated rudely and subjected to profanity by night shift CNAs. Despite these reports, the resident did not feel comfortable naming the staff involved, but she did express her concerns to staff on several occasions and also mentioned the issue during a hospital stay. Staff interviews confirmed that the resident's complaints were relayed to nursing staff and, in one instance, to the facility Administrator. However, the Administrator, DON, and ADON stated they were unaware of any abuse allegations regarding this resident, although they acknowledged all staff were trained on abuse reporting protocols. The facility's Social Worker Case Manager also reported the resident's allegations to the facility after learning of them during the resident's hospital admission, and the Hospital Liaison was informed as well, though he could not confirm if he received the information. A review of facility records and the Ohio Department of Health's reporting system revealed that no Self-Reported Incident (SRI) was filed regarding the verbal abuse allegation for this resident. The facility's policy required all abuse allegations to be reported to the Administrator, investigated, and reported to the State Survey Agency within five working days. The facility did not follow this policy, resulting in a failure to report and investigate the resident's allegation of verbal abuse.