Nonfunctional Call Bell System on Two Nursing Units
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to maintain a functioning, house-wide resident call bell system on both nursing units, resulting in call lights being illuminated without an accompanying audible alert to staff. During observation of the Cypress Unit, the surveyor noted resident call bell lights lit above rooms, but no audible signal was heard to indicate residents were requesting assistance. Closer inspection of the call bell panel behind the nurse’s station showed tape covering the enunciator speaker and the enunciator set to a low tone that, after several seconds, produced a sound that was not audible to the surveyor, staff, or residents on the unit. On the Federal Unit, the surveyor observed a resident call bell light illuminated above a room with no audible alert, and the call bell panel behind that unit’s nurse’s station had tape over the enunciator speaker, a nonfunctional enunciator, and a missing low/high tone switch. The director of maintenance stated that they were not aware of these call bell system issues until the surveyor raised the concern, and the administrator and DON were informed of the nonfunctioning call bell systems on both units during the survey. No specific resident medical histories or clinical conditions were described in the report, and the deficiency centers on the environmental and equipment failures related to the call bell system and the lack of prior awareness by facility leadership and maintenance staff.
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