Failure to Follow Grievance and Belongings Policies for Missing Personal Phone
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to follow its grievance and belongings policies in response to a resident’s report of a missing personal cell phone. The resident reported that her phone went missing from her room during a specific time window while she was out of the room and stated she informed the Social Service Director, nurses, and CNAs. She reported that the Social Service Director wrote the information down but did not provide her a copy, and that staff told her they would find the phone and return it. The resident documented on an activity calendar the date and time she reported the missing phone to the Social Service Director and later noted that a cell phone was found in a medication storage room. She stated that the Social Service Director never followed up with her and that she was afraid to continue asking about her phone because she feared getting in trouble and not receiving help with a community pass and discharge. A pre-admission hospital record confirmed the phone number the resident reported as her personal phone number. Staff interviews and record review showed that the grievance process was not followed and belongings were not fully inventoried. An RN acknowledged that the resident had informed her months earlier about the missing phone and that she told the resident to talk to social services but did not follow up or report the concern. A CNA also stated the resident had reported the missing phone to her, yet the facility’s grievance binder contained no grievance related to the missing phone. A grievance/opportunity resolution form produced by the facility lacked the name of the person completing it and only noted that the resident had a phone since admission and that another resident may have taken it. The resident’s belongings inventories did not list the phone or several other personal items visible in the admission photo and in the resident’s room, and neither inventory sheet contained the resident’s signature. The facility’s belongings policy required all belongings to be recorded and signed for, and the grievance policy required all concerns to be documented in writing, overseen by the Social Service Director, with resolutions expected within 72 hours and maintained in a grievance binder for at least three years.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.