Failure to Track and Communicate Resolution of Resident Grievances
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that resident grievances were consistently tracked, resolved, and communicated back to residents. During a resident council meeting, one resident reported that residents were not being notified about how or when their submitted grievances were resolved, stating that grievances were turned in but never followed up on. This resident identified several unresolved issues, including problems with communication with kitchen staff, who were described as Spanish-speaking only and not following resident meal tickets, and the absence of dietary staff, including the dietary manager, from resident council meetings despite being invited. Additional unresolved concerns included residents not being transported to their appointments, uncertainty about whether this was due to low staffing in the transport department, laundry not being returned, and a lack of hot water for at least six months. Another resident reported not receiving showers because there was no hot water. The same resident who raised multiple concerns also stated that there was no official grievance official, which she believed contributed to residents not receiving responses about resolutions to their grievances. In a subsequent interview, the Regional Nurse Consultant stated that the Social Services Director or the Administrator were responsible for following up on grievances, that the Social Services Director was designated as the grievance official, and that the facility’s expectation was for all grievances to be addressed and resolved within five working days. Despite this stated process, the residents’ reports indicated that grievances were not being followed up on or communicated back to them.
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