What Are the Staffing Requirements for New Jersey Nursing Homes?

One of the first questions asked by families touring and visiting nursing homes usually involves staffing. They want to know that their elderly family member or loved one will receive the appropriate care and attention around-the-clock and as needed, which is completely understandable.

Nursing homes are required to meet certain staffing requirements in order to protect the safety and well-being of residents living in these facilities. If they do not meet the staffing requirements, the residents usually become neglected or even abused, reducing their quality of life tremendously.

What are the staffing requirements for New Jersey nursing homes?

In 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an important bill, S2712, that quickly went into effect. Bill S2712 established new staffing requirements for New Jersey nursing homes. The primary goal of these new staffing requirements was to help the state with its F rating for direct staffing hours per nursing home resident. Now, it has become part of New Jersey’s law to ensure that nursing homes across the state are meeting specific staffing requirements, which includes:

• One certified nursing aide per every eight residents for day shifts
• One direct care staff member per every 10 residents for evening shifts and at least half of all staff members must be certified nurse aides, signed in as a certified nurse aide, and willing to perform and complete the tasks of a certified nurse aide
• One direct care staff member per every 14 residents for night shifts and each direct care staff member must be signed in as a certified nurse aide and willing to perform and complete the tasks of a certified nurse aide

Direct care staff members are registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nursing aides.

What happens when staffing requirements are not met?

When staffing requirements are not met, certain mistakes and errors arise, and residents begin to experience a diminished quality of life. Here are a few of the effects of staffing requirements not being met in Cherry Hill nursing homes:

• Neglect: When nursing homes fail to meet the staffing requirements, there are not enough workers to help and tend to the needs of each resident as needed. Unfortunately, this leads to residents being neglected, which can result in falls, delayed responses to calls, and not receiving assistance with simple tasks, such as bathing, walking, or changing clothes. In addition, nursing home residents that become neglected due to staffing shortages typically suffer bedsores, injuries, and life-threatening illnesses because the workers overlooked or did not take the time to address these issues.
• Abuse: Elderly abuse is more common in understaffed nursing homes. The reason for this is because there are less workers around, meaning that these unkind and unprofessional workers have more opportunities to mistreat or harm residents without fear of being caught. In addition, when a nursing home does not meet the staffing requirements, it can make it more difficult for the management teams to respond or address complaints of abuse, allowing the abuse to continue to happen.
• Medication errors: Medication errors are another negative effect of staffing shortages in nursing homes. Workers may get medications mixed up, fail to document that residents have already received their medications, or even give the wrong dosages. While this might seem like a small error, it can actually have life-threatening consequences. For example, if a resident is given a medication that they are allergic to, they may have an allergic reaction and become hospitalized or even die as a result.
• Malnourishment and dehydration: When a nursing home is understaffed, residents are at risk of being malnourished and dehydrated. This is because they may not receive their meals at appropriate times, they may not have the necessary help they need to eat or drink, or their food may be cold by the time they receive it. In addition, if a resident requests a drink, the overwhelmed and overworked workers may prioritize other issues, such as a fall, as more important than grabbing the resident a drink. As a result, residents may become malnourished and dehydrated.

Failing to meet staffing requirements in nursing homes can also cause workers to experience severe burnout. The reason for this is because one worker may be required to do the jobs of multiple workers. When this happens, nursing home workers will typically quit and cause the nursing homes to experience high turnover rates.

Why do some nursing homes fail to meet staffing requirements?

Although New Jersey has implemented laws requiring certain staffing requirements for nursing homes, it can be difficult to actually enforce these requirements. Therefore, some nursing homes still fail to meet staffing requirements due to various reasons, such as:

• To save money or financial costs
• To avoid paying overtime or higher hourly rates
• Difficulties finding experienced, licensed, or certified workers who meet the necessary requirements
• Higher turnover rates due to burnout and not enough pay

If you believe your elderly loved one was abused or neglected due to staffing issues at a nursing home, the Cherry Hill nursing home abuse lawyers at Ferrara & Gable can help. We will look over the facts and details of your claim, investigate the issue, gather evidence and information to support your claim, and fight for your loved one’s right to the compensation they are owed for their losses. Call our office or complete our contact form to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation in Cherry Hill today. Our team proudly serves all of South Jersey.