PA Releases Details on Nursing Home Investigations:
Following hundreds of investigations into Pennsylvania nursing homes this past October as a result of complaints of deficient care, understaffing, and policy flaws, the state released details of the inspections, says an article on Patch.com. The investigations, some of which also covered homes’ COVID-19 response, revealed that low staffing after the pandemic prevented Pennsylvania nursing homes from providing the most basic care.
In its October report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health revealed that officials carried out 504 nursing home inspections across 345 Pennsylvania facilities. Of these total inspections, 306 came as a result of complaints, with 67 complaints relating specifically to COVID. Details of the nursing home investigations performed by Pennsylvania officials have been made available on the DOH website.
PA Releases Details on Nursing Home Investigations which resulted in three new nursing home sanctions, totaling $16,500 in fines.
Understaffing was determined to have directly impacted certain facilities’ ability to consistently deliver basic quality of care, to the detriment of the physical and mental well-being of residents. According to the report, among the care and services that were not efficiently or sufficiently provided included the following:
- Toileting/Incontinence Care—Residents in need of toilet assistance who are left to fend for themselves are fall risks; Incontinent patients who are not quickly tended to are at higher risk for developing bedsores.
- Maintaining Proper Hygiene—The report cites one facility as neglecting to shower a new resident for 20 days after the resident’s admission.
- Responding to Requests for General Assistance—Repeated failure to assist residents can amount to resident abandonment, a form of nursing home neglect.
- Proper Medication Administration—Medication errors can lead nursing home residents to suffer a range of injuries and health deficiencies, including serious falls, choking, strokes, heart attacks, mental deterioration, and death.
Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said that the DOH will continue to investigate complaints. “If you see something that may jeopardize patients’ safety or well-being, you can file an anonymous complaint by calling, filling out an online form, emailing or even mailing a letter to the department.”
Pennsylvania residents can call 1-800-254-5164, fill out a form online, send an email to c-ncomplai@pa.gov, or mail the department at the following address:
Division of Nursing Care Facilities Director
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Division of Nursing Care Facilities
625 Forster St., Room 526, Health and Welfare Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0701
Fighting to Keep Your Loved One Safe
Determining the quality and safety of the Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home where your loved one lives is essential. Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes are required to meet health and safety standards requirements and to ensure the physical, mental, and psycho/social well-being of their residents. To meet these standards, the Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home where your loved one lives must be equipped to avoid the kind of substandard care that amounts to nursing home neglect or abuse. Should you have concerns about the quality of care in a Pennsylvania or New Jersey nursing home, or if you suspect neglect, abuse, or fraud has occurred at the Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home where your loved one lives, please contact nursing home abuse attorney Brian P. Murphy to discover your legal rights and options.
