F0725 F725: Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
E

Insufficient Weekend Nursing Staffing and Delayed Resident Care

Rockaway Care CenterFar Rockaway, New York Survey Completed on 12-10-2025

Summary

The facility did not provide sufficient nursing staff each day to meet resident needs and did not maintain a licensed nurse in charge on each shift. During the recertification survey, residents reported that the facility was short staffed, especially on weekends and at night, which led to delayed response to call bells and delays in assistance with activities of daily living and personal care. Resident #8, who had diagnoses including Anxiety Disorder, Depression, and Quadriplegia and required dependent assistance for toileting and showering, stated that staff took longer to respond after the call bell was rung and that this happened very often. Resident #168, who had diagnoses including Cerebrovascular Accident, Hemiplegia, and Hyperlipidemia and required dependent assistance for toileting, showering, dressing, and footwear, stated that they had to wait a long time for staff to clean and change an incontinence brief when staffing was short on the unit. The facility’s Payroll Based Journal staffing data for the second quarter of 2025 showed excessively low weekend staffing. Review of the Facility Assessment, last updated in August 2025, showed the facility had 6 units with a 228-bed capacity and documented staffing patterns for weekdays and weekends/holidays. The weekend/holiday staffing pattern reflected fewer staff than the weekday pattern, including 6 fewer CNAs and 1 fewer RN and LPN, even though census remained the same. Review of the daily staffing sheets from April through June 2025 showed repeated shortages on weekend shifts, including shortages of CNAs on the 4th, 5th, and 6th floors, a shortage of an RN on the 3rd floor, and a shortage of an LPN on the 2nd floor. Interviews confirmed the staffing shortages and the facility’s inability to consistently meet the staffing levels in its assessment. The Director of Respiratory Services stated the ventilator unit had 11 ventilator-dependent residents, 9 residents with tracheostomies, and other step-down respiratory residents, and that the unit was usually staffed with 2 RNs and 1 LPN, though one nurse was often floated to another unit when all 3 nurses were present. The DON stated staffing was managed by the staffing coordinator and DON, that internal staff and long-term agency staff were called during shortages, and that weekend staffing remained difficult to meet. The Facility Administrator stated the facility had adjusted staffing in August 2025 after recognizing the weekend staffing gap, acknowledged the Payroll Based Journal report triggered for excessively low weekend staffing, and stated the facility was still not meeting weekend staffing levels.

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.

Resources

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See other F0725 citations
Insufficient Nursing Staffing Led to Delayed Care and Missed Assistance
F
F0725 F725: Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Short Summary

Insufficient nursing staffing led to delayed toileting help, delayed meal assistance, and transfers done outside assessed needs and policy. A resident who was dependent for toileting and transfers was left in bed crying, incontinent, and told to stay in bed and pee her pants until staff could return, while another resident waited 45 minutes for help eating in the dining room. Surveyors also found repeated weekend staffing shortages, and staff described frequent short staffing, late or missing staff, and reliance on agency and float staff.

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.
Insufficient staffing to provide ordered one-to-one supervision
E
F0725 F725: Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Short Summary

Insufficient staffing prevented the facility from providing ordered one-to-one supervision for two residents after resident-to-resident incidents. Observations showed the residents without staff supervision, and interviews with the Staffing Coordinator and DON confirmed the facility could not consistently implement the care-planned supervision because of staffing shortages and competing supervision needs.

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.
Inadequate staffing and supervision led to unmet resident care needs and resident-to-resident altercations
E
F0725 F725: Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Short Summary

Inadequate staffing and supervision resulted in unmet care needs and resident-to-resident altercations. A male resident with dementia who was exit seeking and wandered into other residents’ rooms required more 1:1 oversight than staff could provide, and staff reported they were unable to keep him safe while covering other duties. He was involved in multiple altercations with another resident when staffing was short. A second resident who required 2-person transfer assistance experienced repeated call light delays, with staff turning off the light before completing care and a 54-minute wait for transfer assistance. Staff and residents reported frequent call-offs, long wait times, missed breaks, and difficulty meeting resident needs when the unit was short-staffed.

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.
Insufficient Nursing Staff and Delayed Resident Care
E
F0725 F725: Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Short Summary

Insufficient nursing staff led to delayed call light response and resident care needs not being met. Residents reported waiting 30 to 40 minutes or longer for toileting and other assistance, with some soiling themselves or being left in wet briefs. Staff and resident council concerns, grievances, confidential complaints, and observations of unkempt residents and incomplete shower documentation supported the finding. The NHA and DON confirmed the facility was short staffed and unable to consistently meet resident needs.

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.
Insufficient Licensed Nursing Staff and Missed Medications
F
F0725 F725: Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Short Summary

The facility failed to provide enough licensed nursing staff to meet resident needs and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift. The staffing schedule and time records were inconsistent, and interviews showed the facility was short multiple LPN/RN hours across shifts after several call-offs and partial coverage from agency and sister-facility nurses. Staff and residents reported that there was no nurse on the 100 hall for much of the day, resulting in missed meds, delayed BG checks, and an insulin omission for a resident whose BG later measured 441.

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.
Delayed Call Light Response and Staffing Shortages
D
F0725 F725: Provide enough nursing staff every day to meet the needs of every resident; and have a licensed nurse in charge on each shift.
Short Summary

Delayed call light response was identified for two residents who were totally dependent on staff for ADLs. One resident with quadriplegia reported waits of 30 minutes or more for help and missed repositioning, while another resident with spinal cord dysfunction, quadriplegia, and a suprapubic catheter reported waits of up to 4.5 hours, delays in being cleaned after BMs, and missed bed baths. Staff and the DON reported frequent call-offs, short staffing on multiple shifts, and response times often far beyond the facility’s expected 15-minute standard.

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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