Failure to Return and Document Resident Personal Belongings at Discharge
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure a resident received all personal belongings upon discharge, as required to provide a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment. The resident was admitted with documented personal items, including two grey t‑shirts and one white sheet, as recorded on an Inventory List completed at admission. Upon review of the resident’s records after discharge, the Director of Nursing confirmed there was no evidence that the resident’s belongings were provided to the resident or their representative at the time of discharge, nor was there documentation of a signed receipt. The facility’s own Theft Prevention policy required staff to complete a resident inventory at admission and discharge, provide the resident or representative with a copy of the inventory and the resident’s property upon discharge, and obtain a signed receipt, but this process was not documented as having been followed for this resident. The deficiency centers on the lack of documentation and confirmation that the resident’s inventoried personal items were returned at discharge, despite clear policy expectations for securing and accounting for resident property.
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