Both the State of New Hampshire and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) conduct routine investigations, surveys, and inspections year-round at every nursing facility statewide. The conclusions of their surveys and inspections help to identify serious deficiencies, nursing home violations, and safety hazards. When problems are detected and identified, regulators provide the nursing facility the opportunity to make corrections to their policies and procedures and improvements to the level of care they provide every resident.In serious cases, the regulators may determine that the facility’s underlying problems are too difficult to fix promptly. In these incidences, the facility may be designated as a Special Focus Facility (SFF). This designation places them on the national Medicare watch list, meaning and surveyors and inspectors will conduct more than the normal number of surveys and investigations throughout the year.
In 2017, regulators placed Pleasant Valley Nursing Center on the national deficiency watch list and designated the Home as a Special Focus Facility. Likely, the nursing home will remain on the list for many years until inspectors and surveyors are convinced that improvements made at the facility are permanent. Some major concerns involving deficiencies, citations, violations, and hazards with this facility are detailed below.
This Home is a ‘for profit’ 112-certified bed Long-Term Care Center providing cares and services to residents of Derry and Rockingham County, New Hampshire. The Facility is located at:
8 Peabody Road
Derry, NH 03038
(603) 434-1566
In addition to providing skilled nursing care, this Sava Senior Care-affiliated facility offers rehabilitation services, respiratory therapy, IV (intravenous) therapy, dementia care, and bariatric care.
The state of New Hampshire routinely updates their long-term care home database systems to reflect all dangerous hazards, safety concerns, health violations, incident inquiries, opened investigations, and filed complaints. This information can be found on numerous sites including Medicare.gov. Many families use this information to determine where to place a loved one who requires the highest level of hygiene assistance and skilled nursing care.
Currently, Pleasant Valley Nursing Center maintains an overall one out of five stars compared to all nursing homes in the US. This ranking includes one out of five stars for health inspections, two out of five stars for staffing issues, and two out of five stars for quality measures. Within the last three years, the New Hampshire State Agency has received eight formally filed complaints and four facility-reported issues that after investigations all resulted in citations. Some concerns, violations, deficiencies, and hazards involving this facility include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 21, 2016, the state investigator noted the facility’s failure to “provide an appropriate level of supervision on an appointment for [one resident].”
Part of the findings during the investigation involving a resident’s Initial Incident/Accident Report Review dated December 13, 2016, revealed that “the resident was transported by ambulance wheelchair van to a morning appointment at a local Medical Center for 1:30 PM.” The facility telephoned the Medical Center “at approximately 5:30 PM to inquire upon the resident’s status, as he had not yet returned.”
A Medical Center nursing supervisor “advises staff that the resident was signed in but was observed leaving a 1:18 PM. The staff was informed that the resident did not keep [their] appointment.” The surveyor reviewed the resident’s BIMS (Brief Interview for Mental Status) report dated November 9, 2016, that revealed the resident was cognitively intact and not at risk of elopement.
However, the resident’s Nursing Initial Plan of Care dated November 4, 2016, revealed that the resident was “a potential safety risk, safety related to wandering” and that the resident was observed, “frequent lead during increased wandering to ensure safety.” The staff was directed to “observe for exit seeking behaviors and provide diversion activities. Wandering or other electronic safety devices as deemed necessary by observation. Observe for placement and function of devices per facility protocols, and initiate safety checks as indicated.”
The surveyor interviewed a staff member on December 21, 2016, who revealed that on the day in question the resident “went out to lunch with [his/her sisters and upon returning from lunch, it was time for the resident] to go to the appointment at the hospital.” The nurse assumed that the resident’s “sisters were going with [the resident] to the appointment since [the resident’s] sisters exited the building with [the resident].” However, the sisters did not go along with the resident to the Medical Center.
During an interview with the Director of Nurses, it was revealed that “it is the nurse’s responsibility to ask who is going with the resident to appointments [and] that the nurse should have checked this form” to determine if someone needed to assist the resident to the Medical Center.
In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated June 2, 2017, the state investigator noted that the facility failed “to provide the appropriate level of supervision for [a resident] in a complaint survey.” The incident was reviewed in the facility’s Initial Incident/Accident Report dated March 11, 2017.”
A review of the report revealed that “on March 11, 2017, during the dinner meal service preparation, the nurse could not locate the resident on the unit. The Medical Surgical Unit Nurse immediately initiated the facility missing person protocol and the facility was searched …and [staff was] unable to locate the resident.”
The Administrator, the Durable Power of Attorney, the Nursing Director and the local police “were contacted immediately. The resident was located at a friend’s home. The resident was safe but confused and stated, ‘was going to Adult Day program.’” The resident’s Durable Power of Attorney met with the resident at the apartment, and the local police escorted [the resident] back from the apartment to the facility. Upon arrival, the resident was safe, comfortable and call but not able to make clear statements about why [they] left the facility.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated June 2, 2017, the state surveyor determined that the facility had “failed to ensure that all investigations of alleged violations are reported immediately and within five working days with the result of the investigation [sent] to the State Survey and Certification Agency.”
The surveyor’s findings include a review of a resident’s Investigation Documentation dated March 11, 2017, that revealed “the initiation of an alleged elopement investigation of [a resident]. The initial investigation documentation was submitted on March 13, 2017, to the State Survey and Certification Agency. No follow investigation was submitted after the incident on March 11, 2017, to the State Survey and Certification Agency.”
During an interview with the facility Director of Nursing and the Facility Administrator, it was confirmed that “the initial investigation was submitted to the State on March 13, 2017, and the final investigation report was not sent…” During the elopement [wandering away from the facility] event, the resident “was returned to the facility via the local police.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated October 19, 2017, the state surveyor noted the facility had failed to “adhere to the State of New Hampshire’s… Written Directives for Medical Decision Making for Adult Without Capacity to Make Healthcare Decisions.” A review of the resident’s medical records revealed that there was “no documentation of an assessment to determine [the resident’s] capacity for decision-making.” The document revealed “no written statement by the physician to certify that [the resident] lacked the capacity to make healthcare decisions [before] activating the [resident’s] Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated October 19, 2017, the State surveyor noted the facility’s failure “to ensure the competence assessment is conducted within fourteen days after the facility determines or should have determined that there has been a significant change in the resident’s physical or mental condition.” The deficiency by the nursing staff involved one hospice resident.”
The state investigator reviewed the resident’s Medical Records that revealed the resident “received an order from a nurse practitioner on July 31, 2017, to place [the resident] on hospice [care]. A Hospice Care Plan was created started July 31, 2017, however, [the resident’s] medical record contains no documented evidence of a significant change in the status assessment being completed.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated October 19, 2017, the state investigator noted that the facility had failed to “follow physician’s orders on three [residents].” The state investigator observed a medication administration task on the morning at October 18, 2017, that revealed that the resident received medications. However, “there was no observation of [the staff Licensed Practical Nurse] monitoring the blood pressure or pulse [before] the administration of this medication” as required.
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 12, 2016, the state surveyor noted the facility’s failure “to provide bed linens to the resident.” An observation was made during the tour of the facility on December 18, 2015, where a resident was observed in their room “lying clothed on a bare mattress of her bed without sheets or blanket.” Interviews with members of the staff revealed that there was “a lack of linens, misplace clothing and laundry back up.”
During interviews, it was revealed that there “is not enough linens to do what needs to be done [and that] there is a laundry shortage, and they can’t keep up with it.” A member of the staff stated that “we run short on sheets often and the resident personal laundry does not get delivered quick enough.” A fourth member of the staff stated during an interview that “laundry gets backed up. There are never enough sheets, and the resident clothing takes a while to get back.”
The state investigator interviewed the Housekeeping Director who indicated that “the facility is down to staff and the Department and concurs [with what the staff member said] that it had been difficult to keep up with the laundry. Resident personal clothing is sometimes misplaced, and sheets, washcloths, and towels are not always available when they are needed.”
If you believe that your loved one suffered abuse, mistreatment or neglect while a patient at Pleasant Valley Nursing Center or any nursing facility, filing a claim for compensation could be a wise decision. By hiring a personal injury attorney, your family can be assured of receiving adequate monetary recovery for your damages. A lawyer working on your behalf can file all the necessary paperwork and negotiate with claims adjusters or present evidence in front of a judge and jury during a lawsuit trial.
Contact us today! A personal injury attorney will provide immediate legal representation without any upfront payment or fee. All legal fees are paid only after the law firm has successfully resolved your case in a court of law or through a negotiated out of court settlement.
Sources:
Attorney Jennifer Wilson
Licensed in New York
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home