Why Nursing Home Understaffing is a Significant Issue

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Understaffing is one of the primary causes of inadequate care and often unsafe conditions in skilled nursing facilities. Numerous studies have shown that inadequate staffing leads to a greater likelihood of falls, pressure sores, significant weight loss, incontinence, and premature death by nursing home patients.

For example, in Quality of Care in Nursing Homes: An Overview, the Office of Inspector General found that California facilities staffed at, or above, the safe staffing standard had less than half the rate of pressure sores and incontinence than facilities staffed below the safe staffing standard.

What California Law Provides

California law seeks to ensure sufficient staff for the care of elderly and disabled residents nursing homes in the state. Under the California Health and Safety Code, all skilled nursing facilities in California must provide at least 3.2 hours of direct nursing hours per patient day (“NHPPD”).

This requirement represents the minimum staffing required for patients at skilled nursing facilities. Depending on patient needs and other factors, higher levels of direct nursing hours may be warranted. Significantly, after extensive research into the staffing levels required to meet patient needs, the federal government has increased the minimum recommended level for skilled nursing staffing to 4.1 NHPPD.

Inadequate Nurse Staffing Lawsuits

Nursing home patients represented by plaintiffs’ counsel have filed lawsuits against Evergreen California Healthcare and Kindred Healthcare, two of the largest operators of nursing homes in California. The plaintiffs charge that that Evergreen and Kindred failed to provide sufficient nursing staff for elderly and disabled residents at its California skilled nursing facilities in violation of state law.

The plaintiffs also charge that Evergreen and Kindred represented that they operate their nursing facilities in compliance with applicable laws to induce elderly and disabled citizens to become residents, and remain residents. Likewise, the plaintiffs allege that Evergreen and Kindred failed to disclose that, in fact, their facilities do not provide sufficient nursing staff to comply with minimum staffing requirements.

Contact Plaintiffs’ Counsel

If you have information regarding alleged understaffing at Evergreen or Kindred facilities, we encourage you to contact us. The information you provide may assist in helping to ensure that residents at skilled nursing facilities in California receive the proper attention and care they deserve and is required under the law.

Please call us toll-free at 1-800-541-7358 or complete the form on the upper right of this page.