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Staffing problems abound in California nursing homes

LTC Liability Monitor, August 18, 2005

The California HealthCare Foundation this week released an extensive report on the state's nursing home industry, detailing a range of problems that create potentially dangerous situations in California's SNFs. Conducted by researchers from the University of California at San Francisco, the study suggested that only a small percentage of SNFs meet the state's recommended staffing levels for optimum care, that continuing high staff turnover hurts continuity of care, and that many residents show clinical signs of poor care.

The most recent data, from 2003, shows that certified nursing assistants with fewer than four weeks of on-the-job training handle 64% of care, while registered nurses and licensed practical nurses handle only 36%. Almost one fourth of freestanding nursing homes also did not meet the state-required minimum nurse staffing level of 3.2 hours per resident in 2003, and 95% did not meet the recommended 4.1 hours. Further, survey data showed most homes do not meet government compliance standards for care and safety. The full report is available for download here.

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