Staffing Issues Put Nursing Home Residents at Risk

Staffing is an important factor in how well and safely a nursing home or other residential facility runs. That’s why there are legal requirements about the number and type of staff members required. Unfortunately, not every facility complies with those requirements. 

Sometimes that’s because the nursing home is having trouble finding enough qualified staff. In the short-term, it may even be because something like Covid is sweeping through the staff and multiple employees are unable to work. Of course, there are often other options, like staffing agencies, to cover those shortfalls. 

Nursing Home Staffing Issues in Massachusetts

In 2024, the Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) reached a $4 million settlement with Next Step Healthcare. The company operates 16 nursing homes in Massachusetts. The AG had alleged that the company had deliberately short-staffed nursing homes, which resulted in neglect and other harm to residents. 

While the Next Step situation may have been particularly concerning, the issue itself is far more common than we’d like to believe. A 2022 study concluded that 87% of nursing homes had moderate to high levels of staffing shortages, and nearly all reported difficulty hiring new staff. 

The statistics for assisted living facilities were similar, though not quite as dramatic. Still, 32% reported concerns about the facilities closing due to inadequate staffing. One of the biggest factors for both nursing homes and assisted living facilities was a lack of interest from qualified candidates. That’s not a surprise, since working in a nursing home or other long-term care facility can be difficult, stressful, and require significant physical exertion. And, 77% of those facilities said being unable to offer competitive wages was either an extremely big or moderately big obstacle.

But there’s a more sinister element as well, as suggested by the Next Step case. Understaffing saves nursing homes money. So does staffing with underqualified people.

Guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services say a nursing home resident should be receiving, on average, 3.48 hours of care per day. That should include at least .55 hours of RN care and 2.45 hours of LPN care. The remainder can be any mix of RN, LPN, LVN and nurse’s aide care. 

On average, an LPN earns just over 42% more than a certified nurse’s aide. So, it’s not hard to see what a difference it can make to a facility to have aides providing a large share of that care. Similarly, the average RN earns 46% more than an LPN. 

How Do Staffing Shortages Hurt Nursing Home Residents?

When a nursing home is short-staffed, residents may be affected in many way, including:

• Longer wait times when they press a call light for assistance to get out of bed, use the restroom, or address other issues–some of which may be urgent
• Less time and attention when interacting with a resident, meaning the resident’s needs may not be fully addressed and the staff member may miss warning signs
• Increased stress levels for staff, which can lead to worsened job performance, irritability with residents, and even psychological and physical abuse
• High turnover, which means less cohesive teams and more staff members who are unfamiliar with the facility and residents or even still in training

In short, when nursing homes cut corners on staffing, residents suffer. Sometimes, the outcomes can be serious, such as an aide taking too long to answer a call when a resident is having a medical emergency, or bedsores going unnoticed and turning into a serious infection. 

If a loved one has been injured or neglected in a nursing home, short staffing may be partly to blame. To learn more about how to help your family member and pursue the compensation they deserve, schedule a free consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer today.