Failure to Timely Repair Malfunctioning Bathroom Faucet
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a clean, comfortable, and homelike environment by not timely repairing a malfunctioning bathroom faucet for one resident. The resident, who had schizophrenia but intact cognition with a BIMS score of 15/15, reported that the faucet in the resident’s bathroom did not work well and stated having informed multiple staff members over the course of a month or longer. When the surveyor tested the faucet, only a light trickle of water was observed. The facility’s policy on Reporting Maintenance Issues required that all maintenance issues impacting resident safety, clinical care, infection prevention, dignity, or facility operations be reported immediately using the approved process and that all issues be documented with specific details and retained per policy. Despite this policy, the Maintenance Director reported there were no work orders for the resident’s room and stated that staff typically call, text, or speak in person to request repairs, and that work orders are thrown away after completion. The Maintenance Director was not aware of the faucet problem until accompanying the surveyor to the room and observing the issue. A housekeeper reported being aware that the faucet did not work well and stated having written down the concern and turned it in approximately a month and a half earlier, believing that repairs were completed timely. The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed that staff could notify the Maintenance Director of needed repairs by calling, texting, discussing in morning meetings, or filling out a work order, and verified that the resident’s faucet should have been repaired in a timely manner.
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