Audit Report Exposes Delays in Nursing Home Inspections in North Carolina

Audit Report Exposes Delays in Nursing Home Inspections in North Carolina

WPBN: A report that was produced by the North Carolina Office for the State Auditor found various problems with the supervision of nursing homes in the state that were carried out by the Division of Health Services Regulation of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The report was 59 pages long for its length.

According to the report, the Department of Health and Human Services did not carry out timely inspections at 289 nursing homes between March 1, 2021 and December 1, 2023.

All around the state of North Carolina, there are 425 nursing facilities. Inspections of nursing homes are required to be carried out at least once every 15 months in accordance with various federal requirements.

Additionally, according to the State Auditor, the Department of Health and Human Services did not finish investigations of complaints within the timeframe that was specified by state law, which was from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023.

According to the statute of the state, investigations into complaints must be finished no later than sixty days after these investigations have been received.

The study states that out of the 17,152 complaints that required investigations, there were 6,756 investigations that were finished late, which accounts for 39 percent of the total.

“Because the Division’s inspections were late, nursing home residents were at risk of conditions that could have threatened their health and safety,” according to the report.

The following is an example that is included in the report: “One resident needed assistance pulling up her pants but was not provided assistance for more than an hour.”

The inspectors discovered call bells from two residents that were unanswered for more than an hour. It took the second resident between forty-five and sixty minutes to receive a drink. They said that the personnel made them feel ashamed for requesting assistance, which was reported by the residents.

It is also stated in the study that the Department of Health and Human Services did not verify the remedy of flaws discovered in nursing homes during inspections that took place between January 1, 2019, and June 30, 2022.

Audit Report Exposes Delays in Nursing Home Inspections in North Carolina

“In March 2022, the Division cites a nursing home for failing to prevent significant medication errors for 9 of 11 residents sampled during the inspection. Residents did not receive multiple medications including insulin for diabetes, heart medication for atrial fibrillation, pain medication for respiratory failure, anti-seizure medication to prevent seizures, and medication to prevent pulmonary embolism,” according to the audit.

Mark Benton, the Chief Deputy Secretary of Health for the Department of Health and Human Services, stated in a letter that was sent in response to the study that the late inspections were caused by COVID-19 and personnel shortages.

He stated, “The NCDHHS team assigned to nursing home inspections and investigations has been understaffed and under-sourced for years.”

Over the course of the previous eight years, this team has had to deal with a 51% increase in the number of complaints as well as an increase in the intensity of those complaints. This is because they do not have sufficient workers.

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Additionally, Benton noted that the North Carolina General Assembly has not adopted the demands for additional staff, higher wages, and improved benefits that were contained in the administration’s most recent four planned budgets. However, the General Assembly has not approved those requests.

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Melissa Sarris is a dedicated local news reporter for the West Palm Beach News. She focuses on accuracy and public interest when she covers neighborhood stories, breaking news, and changes in local government. Melissa likes to explore new places and help out at neighborhood events when she's free.