Failure to Maintain Sufficient Nursing Staff Levels
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to provide sufficient qualified nursing staff to meet the needs of all residents, as evidenced by resident and staff interviews and a review of staffing hours. Residents reported experiencing significant delays in receiving care, with one resident stating that it sometimes took over an hour for an aide to respond to a call light. Multiple nurse aides described being rushed and unable to attend to residents' personal care needs, such as hair care, delivering requested items like ice water, or providing showers instead of bed baths for residents requiring mechanical lifts. On at least one occasion, breakfast was delayed for residents needing assistance due to inadequate staffing, and aides reported feeling unable to provide the level of care residents deserved. A review of the facility's Daily Time Detail by Department reports for eight sampled days showed that on two days, the direct care hours per resident day fell below the state minimum requirement of 2.25 hours, with recorded hours of 2.20 and 2.21. These findings, based on both qualitative interviews and quantitative staffing data, demonstrate that the facility did not consistently maintain adequate staffing levels to ensure residents' needs were met safely and in a manner that promoted their rights and well-being.