Overview
The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office (NSO) did not complete an initial medical screenings for one of its inmates upon their admission. During the audit period, there were 4,350 inmates admitted to the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Jail and House of Correction who were supposed to be provided with initial medical screenings upon their admissions. When testing our sample of 60 inmates, we found that NSO did not provide 1 inmate with an initial medical screening.
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.
Authoritative Guidance
According to Section 932.06(1) of Title 103 of the Code of Massachusetts Regulations,
Written policy and procedure shall provide for an admission medical screening to be performed by health trained personnel or qualified health care personnel for each inmate upon arrival at the county correctional facility. The findings of the screening shall be recorded on a printed form approved by the health authority.
Additionally, Section 601.13(1–2) (Receiving and Screening Procedures) of NSO’s Policy CSD 601 (Medical Services) also requires initial medical screenings to be performed on inmates upon their admission:
Receiving and Screening Procedures . . .
1. It shall be the policy of the NSO to provide for a medical, dental, and mental health screening to be performed by qualified health service staff or health trained personnel on offenders, including intra-system transfers, upon the offender’s arrival at the NSO and prior to placement in population.
2. All findings shall be recorded on the Medical Entrance Screening Form approved by the Medical Director.
Reasons for Noncompliance
NSO said that it believes the one initial medical screening from our finding was completed but that the evidence confirming this may not have been accurately recorded in the CorEMR system. NSO was unable to provide us with documentation that confirmed its belief that this initial medical screening was conducted but misrecorded.
Recommendations
- NSO should establish monitoring controls to ensure that it completes an initial medical screening upon each inmate’s admission.
- NSO should retain documentation confirming that it completed each inmate’s initial medical screening.
Auditee’s Response
The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office executive and command staff have reviewed the draft report for accuracy and completeness as requested. . . . At this time, we have no requested edits or notes for clarification on the report. Thank you to your team for their dedication and professionalism to this process.
Auditor’s Reply
We appreciate the department’s cooperation with our audit team and encourage NSO to implement our recommendations regarding this matter. Our team will be conducting a post-audit review in roughly six months to follow up.
| Date published: | July 26, 2024 |
|---|