Insufficient Nursing Staff Leads to Delayed Call Bell Responses
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide sufficient nursing staff to meet the needs of residents, specifically in relation to call bell response times. Resident 71 reported that she relies on staff assistance to use the bathroom due to her limited mobility and expressed frustration over long wait times after activating her call bell. The call bell activation logs for Resident 71 showed multiple instances where the response time exceeded 15 minutes, with the longest recorded wait being 34 minutes. Although no instance of a wait time over an hour was documented, the resident's concerns about delayed assistance were evident. Similarly, Resident 38 experienced significant delays in call bell responses, with several instances exceeding 15 minutes and one instance reaching over an hour. The resident reported having to wait for assistance with toileting and changing, sometimes resulting in sitting in a soaked bed. The call bell logs for Resident 38 corroborated these claims, showing multiple long wait times. The facility's staff acknowledged that the timing of nurse aide documentation might not align with the actual time of toileting, but the delays in response were still apparent. These findings were reviewed with the Nursing Home Administrator and Director of Nursing.
Plan Of Correction
The Facility submits this Plan of Correction under procedures established by the Department of Health in order to comply with the Department's directive to change conditions which the Department alleges is deficient under State and/or Federal Long Term Care Regulations. This Plan of Correction should not be construed as either a waiver of the facility's right to appeal or challenge the accuracy or severity of the alleged deficiencies or an admission of past or ongoing violation of State or Federal regulatory requirements. 1. Facility is meeting all DOH staffing ratio and PPD guidelines. Residents 38 and 71 will be interviewed weekly x4 weeks then monthly x2 months to monitor call bell response satisfaction. 2. The DON or designee will attend Resident Council monthly x3 to confirm satisfaction with call bell response time. 3. Staff was educated on responding to call bells within 15 minutes of activation. 4. Random audit of call bell reports for response times will be completed weekly x4 then monthly x2. Resident council response to call bell length and the random audit results will be reported to QAPI for review and recommendations. 5. Compliance date: January 28, 2025.