Inspectors find 44 violations at state psychiatric hospital

In a report released Monday, accreditation officials cited the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital in Berlin for 44 different regulatory violations found during a three-day inspection that started June 29.

The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals and other health facilities across the country, says it found 25 “moderate risk” problems at the hospital, including 17 that were “widespread,” and 19 “low-risk” problems, eight of which were widespread.

The most serious citations say some of the patients were receiving “informal” treatment and question whether the state had adequately trained staff working at the hospital and whether staff were diagnosing patients correctly and keeping adequate records for patients.

The Joint Commission’s official accreditation report also says the hospital does not adequately keep infections from spreading, has not adequately credentialed some of its staff, and had not tested whether major machinery would work in case there were an emergency, such as a power outage.

Read more: http://vtdigger.org/2016/08/01/inspectors-find-44-violations-at-vermont-psychiatric-hospital/