Complaint Investigation Report

The allegation of “Staff did not safeguard resident's personal property” alleges that client #1 (C1)’s personal property was thrown away by facility staff without C1’s consent. Interviews with C1 revealed that on April 26, 2024, C1 had left their bag with two packs of cigarettes at the facility prior to leaving the facility to spend time with an acquaintance. C1 stated that once they returned to the facility on April 28th, they were advised that their cigarettes were thrown away by staff. LPA interviewed Staff #1 (S1) who confirmed that they had found a resident’s bag containing Camel cigarettes stored in the office. S1 stated that they and other facility staff attempted to identify the owner of the bag, but no client claimed the items. LPA interviewed witness #1 (W1) who stated that after no residents claimed the items, they were instructed by S1 to throw the bag out. W1 stated that this made them uncomfortable as it is out of the ordinary for staff to throw out the personal items of clients. Interviews with multiple staff members confirmed that it is not normal for the facility to throw away client’s personal items. Interviews with staff #2 (S2) confirmed that client’s personal items have been held in the office for up to thirty (30) days without being thrown away. Interviews with both S1 and C1 confirmed that C1’s cigarettes were replaced after the incident. Based on the information obtained during interviews there is sufficient evidence to support the allegation of “Staff did not safeguard resident's personal property.” Therefore, the allegation is deemed Substantiated at this time.

The allegation of “Staff yelled at resident in care” alleges that S1 yelled at C1 during a meeting to discuss C1’s missing personal belongings. LPA Camara interviewed C1 who stated that while confronting S1 about the missing items S1 raised their voice at R1 and ended the confrontation by slamming the office door on them. LPA Byrne interviewed W1 who witnessed the confrontation. W1 confirmed that S1 yelled at C1 during the confrontation and slammed the door on C1 “With full force”. LPA interviewed S1 who confirmed that they had a confrontation with C1 over the missing items but denied raising their voice at C1. LPA interviewed a current client, client #2 (C2). The interview with C2 did not reveal any concerns with staff raising their voices at clients. C2 denied staff ever yelling at them. Based on the information obtained during interviews there is sufficient evidence to support the allegation of “Staff yelled at resident in care.” Therefore, the allegation is deemed Substantiated at this time.