How to raise a concern
You do not need to be certain, and you do not need to know the right words. Describe what you saw and when you saw it. That is enough for someone to look into it.
What is useful to include
- Which facility, and which unit or wing if you know it. Ownership groups often run several buildings and the report has to land on the right one.
- What you saw or heard, in plain words. “The call light was on for about forty minutes on Tuesday afternoon” is more useful than “the staffing is bad.”
- When it happened, and whether it has happened before. A pattern is much harder to dismiss than a single instance.
- Whether anyone else saw it. You do not have to name them.
- Whether you already raised it with the facility, and what they said. This is often the most valuable line in a report, because it tells ownership what its own management did with the information.
What you do not have to do
- You do not have to give your name.
- You do not have to have proof. You are describing a concern, not making a case.
- You do not have to decide whether it is serious enough. Send it and let it be assessed.
- You do not have to be a relative. Employees, contractors, visitors and volunteers use the same channel.
Reports go to the facility’s ownership and its attorneys. CareGuard is a Patient Safety Organization, not a regulator, and keeps no copy. This does not replace emergency or state reporting — call 911, the Missouri Adult Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 800-392-0210, or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 800-309-3282.
After you send it
The report is transmitted to the facility’s ownership and to the attorneys ownership has designated, and CareGuard does not retain a copy. Because CareGuard keeps nothing, it cannot send you a status update, and it cannot be compelled to hand your report to anyone else either. What happens to your report explains the route in full.