P5530

LPN Staffing Deficiency

Sunbury Skilled Nursing And Rehabilitation CenterSunbury, Pennsylvania Survey Completed on 01-08-2025

Summary

The facility failed to meet the required staffing levels for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) across various shifts over a 21-day review period. Specifically, the facility did not maintain the minimum staffing ratio of one LPN per 25 residents during the day shift on five occasions, one LPN per 30 residents during the evening shift on one occasion, and one LPN per 40 residents during the night shift on twelve occasions. The review of nursing care hours for the weeks of November 24-30, 2024, December 15-21, 2024, and January 1-7, 2025, revealed specific dates where the staffing levels were below the required minimums, with the census and the number of LPNs provided falling short of the regulatory requirements. The deficiency was confirmed through an interview with the nursing home administrator and the director of nursing on January 8, 2025. The interview corroborated the findings from the review of nursing staffing hours, indicating a consistent failure to meet the mandated LPN-to-resident ratios. This deficiency highlights a significant lapse in ensuring adequate nursing care coverage, which is essential for maintaining the quality of care and safety of the residents.

Plan Of Correction

Licensure Nursing Services (LPN Staff Ratios) The statements made on this plan of correction are not an admission to and do not constitute an agreement with the alleged deficiency within. To remain in compliance with all federal and state regulations, the facility has taken or will take actions set forth in the following plan of correction. 1. There were no adverse effects to the residents of our facility as a result of decreased staffing ratios. 2. The Administrator, Director of Nursing, Scheduler and Human Resource Director will be educated on the state requirement for LPN to resident staffing ratios by the Quality Clinical Consultant/designee. 3. Staffing meetings will be held 5 days a week to review LPN ratios from the previous day and the projected LPN staff ratios for the current day, as well as the upcoming week to ensure appropriate staffing levels. If projected staffing levels are below the state requirement for LPNs, then the facility will reach out to current staff and staffing agencies to meet the minimum requirement. The facility will continue to recruit staff through all platforms. 4. Audits of LPN staff ratios will be completed randomly by the DON/designee to ensure LPN staff ratios meet the state minimums. Results of the audits with trends will be reported through QA&A. 5. Date of Compliance February 20, 2025.

Penalty

No penalty information released
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The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
See other P5530 citations
Failure to Meet Minimum LPN Staffing Requirements on Day and Evening Shifts
P5530
Short Summary

Administrative staff did not ensure required LPN coverage on certain day and evening shifts, as shown by a comparison of nursing time schedules and census data. On one day shift, the number of LPN hours worked was below what was required for the number of residents present, and on one evening shift, LPN hours were again below the mandated minimum. The DON confirmed that minimum LPN staffing requirements were not met on these shifts.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Maintain Required LPN Day-Shift Staffing Ratios
P5530
Short Summary

Surveyors determined that the facility did not maintain the required minimum of one LPN per 25 residents on several day shifts during multiple reviewed weeks. Review of staffing records showed that on multiple identified days, the number of LPNs scheduled on day shift was insufficient for the resident census. In an interview, the NHA acknowledged that the required LPN staffing ratios were not met on those days.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Maintain Required LPN-to-Resident Staffing Ratios Across Multiple Shifts
P5530
Short Summary

Surveyors found that the facility did not maintain required LPN-to-resident staffing ratios on multiple day, evening, and night shifts. Review of census data and nursing schedules showed that the number of LPNs providing care on several day shifts was slightly below the minimum required based on the census, and at least one evening and one night shift were also understaffed. There were no additional higher-level staff available to offset these LPN shortfalls, and the Administrator confirmed that required LPN staffing ratios were not met on the identified shifts.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Maintain Required LPN-to-Resident Staffing Ratios on Multiple Shifts
P5530
Short Summary

The facility did not maintain the required LPN-to-resident staffing ratios on several shifts, as shown by a review of weekly staffing records and staff interviews. On four of twenty-one shifts reviewed, the number of LPNs on duty was below the mandated minimum based on the census, including day shifts where LPN coverage was slightly under the required level and a night shift with no LPN coverage at all. No additional higher-level nursing staff were present to offset these shortages, and the administrator acknowledged that required LPN-to-resident ratios were not met on the identified shifts.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Meet Minimum LPN Staffing Ratios
P5530
Short Summary

The facility did not meet the required minimum LPN-to-resident ratios on several day and evening shifts, as shown by a review of nursing schedules. On multiple occasions, there were not enough LPNs scheduled to meet the mandated ratios for the number of residents present.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
Failure to Meet Minimum LPN Staffing Requirements
P5530
Short Summary

The facility did not provide the required minimum number of LPNs on several day and night shifts, as shown by a review of staffing schedules and census data. The Nursing Home Administrator confirmed that LPN staffing levels fell below regulatory requirements on these occasions.

No penalty information released
tooltip icon
The penalty, as released by CMS, applies to the entire inspection this citation is part of, covering all citations and f-tags issued, not just this specific f-tag. For the complete original report, please refer to the 'Details' section.
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