Unattended Unlocked Medication Cart Left Accessible in Hallway
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves failure to keep medications secured in locked compartments as required by facility policy and professional standards. During an observation and interview on 2/20/26 at 5:14 p.m., a licensed nurse left the hall 1 medication cart unlocked while inside a resident’s room, and there were no other licensed or unlicensed staff present to monitor the cart. Upon returning, the nurse confirmed that the cart had been left unlocked and unattended and acknowledged that facility policy requires medication carts to be locked when unattended for resident safety. In a subsequent interview at 5:20 p.m., the assistant DON confirmed that medication carts are required by facility policy to be locked when unattended to prevent unauthorized access to medications, and review of the written medication administration policy dated 12/2025 showed it directs that the medication cart be kept closed and locked when out of sight of the medication nurse or aide. The report states that this failure could result in access to medications by unauthorized people, leading to medication theft and unauthorized medication ingestion with a risk of overdose, drug interactions, or severe adverse effects.
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