Neglect and Abuse Ignored

WECT reported the problems in North Carolina nursing homes. Complaints are not investigated. Neglect is tolerated. North Carolina nursing homes are short-staffed but so are state inspectors for nursing homes. North Carolina has 420 nursing homes but only 97 inspectors to investigate abuse and neglect or respond to complaints. Of the 97 inspectors, 15% go unfilled. The turnover rate is nearly 35% within their first year.

Without inspectors to monitor facilities, shortcuts and unsafe staffing prevail. Meanwhile, the number of complaints go up 27% since 2016, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2022, there were over 3,000 complaints and over 9,000 allegations against nursing homes.

“One common denominator that’s behind the rising complaints is that it comes back to staffing, and whether it’s having the adequate number of staff or the inadequate number of trained staff.”

-said Mark Benton, chief deputy secretary for health with the NCDHHS.