state survey and a bad reputation

[dulcemorena]

I work in a facility that was on the verge of being closed down a year and a half ago. The place has a bad reputation but from the day I started I could see the potential in the place and the dedication of some of the staff. It just seems as if theyre just not sure of how to correct some of the problems. Most of the issues are simple issues such as keeping track of BM's, intake (even though they dont track output). Things that are common in other facilities. My frustration is that theyre trying to scramble to cover things up. For example, I was asked to add up the fluid intake of all the residents at the end of each day (I work night shift), which is fine, but my 4 weeks of orientation was on day shift, and not once did I see any aides or nurses go around and see what people actually ate. When you look at the books its obvious that they just filled in random numbers. Due to a heated discussion this morning between the floor secretary and the DON, I overheard the DON mention that if theyre under 1500cc intake for the day then the Nurse Manager is supposed to do something about it. I wasnt even aware of that facility policy because when I was orginally approached about it adding up the consumptions (this policy was just put into effect last week), the only instruction I received was to "add them up". Well, with all the numbers that were put in, most of the total amounts of fluid intake for the day only add up to 1440cc for the day. I suppose they'd be over 1500cc for the day if any snacks were actually recorded in the books, but there arent any. Ive also seen places where the nurses have to record the amount of fluids given with each med pass, but they dont do that here either. So if the state actually looks at all the totals for the month, these people have been under 1500 since the 1st...they'll question why is the Nse Manager just now doing something about the situation. Its the middle of the month! I tried to clarify what the DON said, but she didnt want to be pulled into the discussion. Unprofessional. I just dont understand why they want to give the illusion that theyre doing something when they really arent. I dont know, there's some good staff there, my night crew is great. The residents are great, its not their fault they couldnt go to a more high scale facility with a better reputation. They still deserve good care. I dont know whats going to happen, but I hope theyre able to stay afloat.

[debRN0417]

I guess it was that the investigations were not complete (lost/missing investigations/paperwork)- which caused the extended survey. With someone with an injury of unknown origin- a fracture in this case which is harm to the resident- and not a thorough investigation, there could be others at risk. So sorry- it is a hard thing to go through and takes quite a while to clear.