County nursing homes cited
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on February 24, 2005 1:45 PM
State inspectors cited all three of Wayne County's nursing homes with deficiencies last year and required that corrective actions be taken.
Brian Center of Goldsboro had a $3,050 per day civil money penalty imposed in July effective June 8 through June 16 and another one of $100 per day effective June 17 through July 7.
Britthaven of Goldsboro had a $3,050 civil money penalty imposed in October for one day, October 1. Britthaven had another penalty imposed in January in the amount of $200 effective Dec. 20 through Jan. 31.
Sunbridge of Mount Olive had some deficiencies during 2004, but no civil money penalties were imposed during that time.
Sunbridge
In mid-May, inspectors from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services visited Sunbridge in Mount Olive for three days and reported finding three deficiencies.
The report cited several housekeeping problems.
The report said staff failed to follow a doctor's order to do lab testing and discontinue a protein supplement for two residents.
Staff was cited for failing to respond to a resident's complaint of pain.
One staff member was seen trying to give a drink to a resident with a straw, failing to follow a doctor's order to provide liquids by spoon only. She told the inspectors that "she did not see the doctor's instruction s posted on the wall."
Britthaven
From Sept. 13 through Sept. 16, the inspectors were at Britthaven of Goldsboro and found 17 deficiencies.
A resident was being bathed with the privacy curtain drawn as far as it would go. It was about 18 inches too short. The report said when asked how did it make him feel, the resident said that he "got used to it."
The report said three residents were not treated with respect during care. One resident heard her name called on the loud speaker, and the voice at the other end asked if she was "ready for the bedpan?" She told the inspectors, "It doesn't bother me any more, because it goes on all the time."
The report said a nurse assistant "roughly pulled" on the resident while bathing him "turning him side to side without making him aware." The report said the resident would look at the nurse's assistant "with a sad expression but never said anything."
The report said the supervising staff failed to instruct nurse aides to rinse seven patients when giving baths. Instructions on the bottle of soap said "rinse thoroughly." One aide was seen giving unsanitary catheter care during the bath.
The report said six residents didn't receive adequate incontinence care. One said he waited up to an hour several times within two months to be cleaned up after soiling himself. On one occasion, this resident said he waited three hours.
Another resident was occasionally incontinent and under doctor's orders to be helped to the bathroom frequently. The report said she was "changed on the rounds, because we do not have time to be taking her to the bathroom."
One resident said it was hard to get anybody to change her oxygen tank.
Dirty suction equipment was found in one room.
The inspectors found the staff failed to make clean bath linens available for seven residents.
They found a catheter tube had been improperly positioned. The resident was sitting on it.
One resident was not being moved around to prevent bed sores from becoming worse, and two others were was not given the prescribed medication to help their bed sores heal.
Another resident was found lying flat on her back with the feeding tube going. The nurse assistant said she had forgotten to elevate the resident's head.
The staff was cited for failing to provide supervision to prevent falls and injuries for a resident who was falling frequently.
A resident was given an excessive dose of a supplement, but tests showed levels did not exceed normal limits.
The staff failed to prevent one resident from wandering from the building. The resident was found outside sitting in a car, saying she was "going home."
Brian Center
On Sept. 21, 22 and 23, the inspectors went to Brian Center in Goldsboro and found seven deficiencies. Some were dietary complaints like a patient wanting chicken instead of spaghetti.
But one resident had trouble swallowing, because a doctor's order to provide thickened liquids was ignored.
Four residents did not receive the assistance they needed to eat. Some trays were found at chin level. One who was legally blind told the inspectors she sometimes would "just not eat" because food fell off the fork, and she didn't know what food was on her plate or where it was.
One resident was choking while trying to eat chopped ham. The doctor had ordered "no dry items."
Dietary services at the home were cited for storing wet utensils. Also unwashed food was found on stored pans, and the stove was dirty.
Two residents' catheters were not removed when they were supposed to be.