California watchdog group says nursing assistants with revoked licenses still found work

Watchdog group says bad nursing assistants rehired

LOS ANGELES — A California watchdog group says nursing assistants who lost their certification still found work caring for the elderly.

In a report released Friday, the California Senate Office of Oversight and Outcomes found 20 cases of state-licensed facilities hiring nursing assistants who had their licenses revoked.

Allegations against the nurses included negligence, abuse, theft or other serious misconduct.

In one case, a nursing assistant who was decertified and fired for hitting blind clients found work five months later at an 11-bed facility, where she is still employed.

The report blames the Department of Social Services for failing to create a database that would centralize license revocations for its six departments.

On the Web:

www3.senate.ca.gov/portal/site/senoversight