Nearly every resident living in nursing facilities in Illinois take multiple medications on a routine basis. Because of that, the nursing staff must follow rigid procedures and protocols to ensure that the right resident receives the right drug at the right dosage and at the right time. Unfortunately, the Lincolnshire elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have represented many victims of medication errors caused by the negligent actions of the nursing staff.
Many nursing home medication errors occur because staff members are overworked, inexperienced or lack proper supervision by incompetent supervisors and managers. Any error of receiving the wrong medication or at the wrong dosage could be catastrophic to the health and well-being of the nursing home resident.
Warren Barr Lincolnshire
Warren Barr Lincolnshire is a 122-certified bed facility providing services to residents of Lincolnshire and Lake County, Illinois. The for-profit center accepts Medicare/Medicare patients and is located at:
150 Jamestown Lane
Lincolnshire, Illinois 60069
(847) 883-9000
Services offered at Warren Barr Lincolnshire include:
- Orthopedic care
- Cardiac care
- Stroke and other neurological conditions
- Pulmonary care
- Oncology care
- Specialized wound
- Post-surgical recovery
Lincolnshire Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
Throughout the year, state and federal nursing home regulatory agencies routinely update their national database and provide a comparative information on numerous websites including Medicare.gov. Currently, Warren Barr Lincolnshire maintains an overall three out of five available stars compared other facilities throughout the United States. This includes five out of five stars for staffing issues, four out of five stars for quality measures and two out of five stars for health concerns.
However, our Lincolnshire nursing home neglect attorneys have located numerous opened investigations, safety concerns and health violations involving this facility. Two of these concerns include:
- Failure to Protect Residents from Serious Medication Errors
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 04/12/2016, a complaint investigation against the facility was opened for its failure to “ensure the staff gave medications to the right resident. This failure contributed to [the resident] being hospitalized.”
The failure by the nursing staff at William Barr Lincolnshire was first noted at 9:15 AM on 03/27/2016 when a Licensed Practical Nurse administered a resident’s medications to the resident. During the administration of the medication, a separate Licensed Practical Nurse witnessed the resident “getting additional medication. The medication was given at 9:15 AM […and] was found to be given in error.” In response to the error, the resident’s “pulse rate was 42 at 4:10 PM” by 4:15 PM, the resident was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with [a serious medical reaction] before returning to the facility.”
As a part of the investigation, the Licensed Practical Nurse was interviewed at 12:30 PM on 04/12/2016 who said that they were “in a hurry and did not check the five rights of medication administration before administering medication and that is why the medication error occurred.” The Nurse Practitioner at the facility was interviewed and stated that “she was called around 9:15 AM” and was informed that the Licensed Practical Nurse “administered additional medications to [the resident].”
At that time, the Nurse Practitioner stated that “she gave orders to send [the resident] out to the hospital if her heart rate went below 50 [… stating that] her main concern for [the resident] was the anti-arrhythmic medication given.” The state investigator noted that the actions of the nursing staff at Warren Barr Lincolnshire failed to follow the facility’s policy titled Med Pass Policy and Procedure that reads in part: “Make sure you have the proper medication for the proper resident, use the picture, right armband with the name and date of birth to verify who the resident is.”
- Failure to Ensure That Residents Remain Safe from Serious Medication Errors
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 06/16/2015, the state investigator followed up on a complaint about the facility’s failure “to administer the correct frequency of medication as prescribed by the doctor.” This resulted in one resident “receiving a medication daily for nine days instead of every other day and being admitted to the hospital [in response to the reaction of the medication].”
The state investigator conducted an interview at 10:15 AM on 6/15 2015 with the facility’s Director of Nursing who explained, “it is a transcription error! The nurse supervisor read and wrote the order incorrectly. The family supplies medication when the Nurse on duty called the family because the supply [of the resident’s medication] is running low. The family claimed they do not understand why the bottle was just revealed. Upon investigation, we found out that it should be given every other day instead of daily.”
Lincolnshire Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If your loved one has been harmed, injured or killed due to the negligent actions of the nursing staff at Warren Barr Lincolnshire, or any other Illinois nursing facility, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can assist you in pursuing full compensation for your damages. Our team of dedicated Lincolnshire elder abuse attorneys are knowledgeable in Illinois tort law and can take legal steps to hold all those responsible for your loved one’s injuries financially and legally accountable.
To successfully resolve your claim for financial compensation, we encourage you to make contact with our Lake County nursing home abuse law offices today at (888) 424-5757. Through our free, no obligation consultation, our attorneys can provide various legal options on how to proceed in your case. We accept all personal injury claims for compensation through contingency fee agreements, meaning no upfront payment is ever required.
