| Organization: | Office of the State Auditor |
|---|---|
| Date published: | July 26, 2024 |
Executive Summary
In accordance with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the Office of the State Auditor has conducted a performance audit of the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office (NSO) for the period July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2021.
The purpose of our audit was to determine the following:
- whether NSO created and complied with a documented policy or procedure regarding the death of an inmate, as required by Section 932.17 of Title 103 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR);
- whether NSO held quarterly meetings with its in-house healthcare employees and reviewed quarterly reports regarding healthcare services for inmates, as required by 103 CMR 932.01(3);
- whether NSO provided its inmates with initial medical screenings upon admission, as required by 103 CMR 932.06(1) and Section 601.13(1–2) (Receiving and Screening Procedures) of NSO’s Policy CSD 601 (Medical Services); and
- whether NSO ensured that a qualified healthcare professional conducted a face-to-face meeting within 24 hours of receipt of a sick call request form, as required by Section 601.15(1)(b) (Sick Call) of NSO’s Policy CSD 601, and whether NSO documented the medical care it provided to its inmates after receipt of a sick call request form, as required by 103 CMR 932.18(2)(h) and (k).
Below is a summary of our finding and recommendations, with links to each page listed.
| Finding 1 | NSO did not complete an initial medical screening for one inmate upon their admission. |
| Effect | Because NSO did not complete an initial medical screening for this inmate, there was a higher-than-acceptable risk that this inmate’s medical issues were not identified and treated, potentially affecting the health and safety of this inmate, other inmates, and NSO employees. |
| Recommendations | 1. NSO should establish monitoring controls to ensure that it completes an initial medical screening upon each inmate’s admission. 2. NSO should retain documentation confirming that it completed each inmate’s initial medical screening. |
In addition to the conclusions we reached regarding our audit objectives, we also identified issues not specifically addressed by our objectives regarding the unused sick call functionality of the CorEMR system. For more information, see Other Matters.
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