Failure to Meet Nurse Aide Staffing Ratios
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to meet the required nurse aide to resident ratios as mandated by the 28 PA Code Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Long Term Care Licensure Regulations, §211.12 Nursing Services, effective July 1, 2024. Specifically, the facility did not provide the minimum number of nurse aides per residents on 17 out of 21 shifts reviewed. The required ratios are 1 nurse aide per 10 residents during the day, 1 per 11 residents in the evening, and 1 per 15 residents overnight. The staffing records from February 4 to February 10, 2025, show consistent understaffing across various shifts, with the number of nurse aides falling short of the required numbers based on the facility's census. The deficiency was confirmed during an interview with the Nursing Home Administrator on February 12, 2025, who acknowledged the failure to meet the staffing requirements on the specified dates. The report does not mention any additional higher-level staff being available to compensate for the deficiency, indicating a lack of adequate staffing to meet regulatory requirements. No specific residents or their conditions are mentioned in the report, and the focus remains on the facility's inability to provide the mandated nurse aide coverage.
Plan Of Correction
1. Facility cannot retroactively correct past nursing ratios. 2. Facility continues to recruit for open nursing positions through online systems and fliers and utilize agency staff. 3. Facility implemented system of daily staffing meetings to ensure efforts were met to meet the necessary ratios. Nursing scheduler was educated on this new process. 4. NHA will audit ratios weekly for 4 weeks and then monthly for 2 months to ensure CNA ratios are met. 5. Audits will be submitted to QAPI for review.