More than half of the serious violations involved staff shortages or insufficient training, according to the report. Three in 5 violations were prompted by complaints and resulted in inspector visits. Citations stemmed from issues including neglect, abuse and poor care.
Over the last four years, Florida nursing homes were cited for an average of 81 severe violations each year, nearly double the number of serious violations cited before 2019, the report said.
The reason for the increase is unclear, but some experts pointed to changes in how violations are measured, as well as staff shortages and legislation changes.
Kristen Knapp, a spokesperson of the Florida Health Care Association, said nursing home inspections changed in 2016 to adhere to new federal regulations.
“Several of those new requirements have resulted in high-level citations for a small percentage of facilities,” she said in an emailed statement to the Tampa Bay Times. “However, the vast majority of care centers in Florida are making great strides to improve quality and better health outcomes for residents.”
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