Report 2016-131 Recommendation 7 Responses

Report 2016-131: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation: It Must Increase Its Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Inmate Suicides (Release Date: August 2017)

Recommendation #7 To: Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of

To ensure that prison staff conduct required checks of inmates placed on suicide precaution in a timely manner, Corrections should implement its automated process to monitor suicide precaution checks in its electronic health record system by the time it is implemented systemwide in October 2017. Further, Corrections should train staff on how to plan for and conduct staggered suicide precaution checks.

1-Year Agency Response

EHRS modification to trigger tasking of Mental Health observation orders was completed in February 2018. This will trigger staggered rounding and allow determination of at what point the task was completed (real time) Training via Webinar was completed mid-February 2018 with full implementation at the end of February 2018. CQIT contains indicators to assess if rounding was staggered and if documentation occurred in real time. Regional mental health teams will audit to ensure entries are completed in real time by comparing task time and documentation time.

CNA training on conducting suicide watch and suicide precaution was offered to all nursing staff statewide and was completed in December 2017.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

6-Month Agency Response

EHRS modification to trigger tasking of MH observation orders has been developed. This will trigger staggered rounding and allow determination of at what point the task was completed (real time). Training via Webinar will begin in mid-February with a full implementation date by the end of February 2018. CQIT contains indicators to assess if rounding was staggered and if documentation occurred in real time. Regional mental health teams will audit to ensure entries are completed in real time by comparing task time and documentation time.

CNA training on conducting suicide watch and suicide precaution was offered to all nursing staff and was completed in December 2017.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

EHRS will be modified to trigger staggered rounding and to allow determination of at what point the task was completed (real time). CQIT contains indicators to assess if rounding was staggered and if documentation occurred in real time. Regional mental health teams will audit to ensure entries are completed in real time by comparing task time and documentation time.

Suicide Watch and Suicide Precaution training will be provided to nursing staff statewide by December 31, 2017.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2016-131

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.