(a) Every residential health facility must at all times provide a staffing level adequate to meet the care needs of each resident, including those residents who have special needs due to dementia or a medical condition, illness or injury. Every residential health facility shall post, for each shift, the names and titles of the nursing services direct caregivers assigned to each floor, unit or wing and the nursing supervisor on duty. This information shall be conspicuously displayed in common areas of the facility, in no fewer number than the number of nursing stations. Every residential health facility employee shall wear a nametag prominently displaying his or her full name and title. Personnel hired through temporary agencies shall be required to wear photo identification listing their names and titles.
(b) By March 1, 2001, the minimum staffing level for nursing services direct caregivers shall not be less than the staffing level required to provide 3.0 hours of direct care per resident per day, provided that funds have been appropriated for 3.0 hours of direct care per resident for Medicaid eligible reimbursement. Nursing staff, rounded to the nearest whole person, must be distributed in order to meet the following minimum shift ratios:
(c) On or before December 1, 2001, a comprehensive report assessing and reviewing the quality of nursing facility care in Delaware shall be completed by the Delaware Nursing Home Residents Quality Assurance Commission and submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly. The purpose of the report is to determine the efficacy of the minimum staffing levels required under this chapter, including, but not limited to, the availability of qualified personnel in the job market to meet the requirement, the cost and availability of nursing home care, and patient outcomes based on scheduled facility surveys, surprise inspections and other reviews conducted by the Division. Based on this information, the Commission will determine if increasing the minimum nurse staffing levels to 3.28 hours of direct care with the corresponding increased required shift ratios is appropriate and necessary. By January 1, 2002, the minimum staffing level for nursing services direct caregivers shall not be less than the staffing level required to provide 3.28 hours of direct care per resident per day, subject to Commission recommendation and provided that funds have been appropriated for 3.28 hours of direct care per resident for Medicaid eligible reimbursement. Nursing staff must be distributed in order to meet the following minimum shift ratios:
To the extent a nursing facility meets the minimum nurse staff levels of 3.28 hours of direct care and compliance with the above referenced shift ratios provided in this subsection requires more than 3.28 hours of direct care, the Division may permit a nursing facility to alter the shift ratios above; provided, however, the alternative shift ratios as determined by the Division shall not, on any shift or at any time, fall below the following alternative minimum shift ratios:
If a nursing facility cannot meet the above referenced shift ratios due to building configuration or any other special circumstances, they may apply for a special waiver through the Division, subject to final approval by the Delaware Nursing Home Residents Quality Assurance Commission. All nursing facilities shall conspicuously display the minimum shift ratios governing the nursing facility, along with posting requirements pursuant to subsection (a) of this section. Notwithstanding subsection (g) of this section, the time period for review and compliance with any alternative minimum shift ratios or ratios pursuant to a special waiver under this subsection shall be 1 day.
(d) Within 6 months of an appropriation by the General Assembly funding the staffing requirements of subsection (e) of this section, a comprehensive report assessing and reviewing the quality of nursing facility care in Delaware shall be completed by the Delaware Nursing Home Residents Quality Assurance Commission and submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly. The purpose of the report is to determine the efficacy of the minimum staffing levels required under this chapter, including, but not limited to, the availability of qualified personnel in job market to meet the requirement, the cost and availability of nursing home care, and patient outcomes based on scheduled facility surveys, surprise inspections and other reviews conducted by the Division. Based on this information, the Commission will determine if increasing the minimum nurse staffing levels to 3.67 hours of direct care with the corresponding increased required shift ratios is appropriate and necessary.
(e) By May 1, 2003, the minimum staffing level for nursing services direct caregivers shall not be less than the staffing level required to provide 3.67 hours of direct care per resident per day, subject to Commission recommendation and provided that funds have been appropriated for 3.67 hours of direct care per resident for Medicaid eligible reimbursement. Nursing staff, rounded to the nearest whole person, must be distributed in order to meet the following minimum shift ratios:
(f) An individual in a facility-sponsored training program who has completed all but the final 37.5 hours of requisite classroom and clinical training to become a CNA may be counted in the direct care hours and minimum staffing shift ratios under the CNA staffing requirements given in subsections (b), (c) and (e) of this section. The individual shall be referred to as a nursing assistant in training (NAIT). The Division shall conduct a study of the certified nursing assistant training programs in Delaware, both those sponsored by facilities and those sponsored by educational institutions. It shall report its findings to the Nursing Home Quality Residents Assurance Commission (Commission). The factors to be studied include, but are not limited to, the percentage of each training program's graduates who passed the certified nursing assistant certification test and the number of attempts it took each graduate to become certified, along with the total number of hours, divided by classroom and clinical time, spent in the overall certified nursing assistant training program. The study shall encompass a period of 6 months commencing with the promulgation of the certified nursing assistant regulations. The report shall be issued no later than 2 months after the completion of the study period. Based on the results of its study, the Division shall recommend to the Commission whether a nursing assistant, while in training and prior to certification, should be counted as a CNA in the minimum staffing ratios, and, if so, at what point in the training program.
(g) The time period for review and determining compliance with the staffing ratios required under this chapter shall be 1 week. To the extent a residential health facility subject to the required ratios of this chapter desires an alternative shift schedule, they shall notify the Division of such alternative shift schedule prior to implementation; the proposed shift schedule and corresponding staff ratios must meet the minimum hour requirements and must not exceed the patient to staff ratios provided under this chapter for the night shift. Any alternative shift schedule must be clearly posted along with the postings required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.
(h) Notwithstanding the minimum staffing requirements established in this subchapter, to the extent additional staffing is necessary to meet the needs of residents, nursing facilities must provide sufficient nursing staffing. If the Division finds unsatisfactory outcomes in a facility, the Department may impose protocols for staffing adequacy, including but not limited to staffing levels above the minimum required under this subchapter. Outcomes examined shall include those outcomes as enumerated by the United States Health Care Financing Administration Quality Indicators. Evidence of a failure to meet the nursing staffing needs of residents shall be grounds for enforcement action under this chapter.
(i) All residential health facilities shall have, in addition to the requirements in subsections (b) through (h) of this section, a full-time director of nursing who is an advanced practice nurse or a registered nurse with 1 year's work experience as a registered nurse. After July 1, 2001, any newly hired director of nursing shall be an advanced practice nurse or a registered nurse with a B.S. degree in nursing and 2 years' experience in long-term care or a registered nurse with 3 years of long-term care experience. After July 1, 2001, all newly hired directors of nursing must complete, within 3 months of hire (or as soon as a course is available), a long-term care director of nursing workshop in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Department in consultation with the Commission.
(j) All residential health facilities licensed for 100 beds or more shall have, at a minimum, the following supervisory and administrative nursing staff, in addition to the personnel listed in subsections (b) through (i) of this section:
(k) All residential health facilities licensed for fewer than 100 beds shall employ, at a minimum, in addition to the personnel listed in subsections (b) through (i) of this section, a part-time assistant director of nursing who is an advanced practice nurse or a registered nurse and a part-time director of in-service education who is an advanced practice nurse or a registered nurse, in accordance with the following formula:
Number of beds ÷ 100 x 40 = hours per week minimum required for an assistant director of nursing and a director of in-service education.
A subacute transitional care unit of an acute care hospital with 30 beds or fewer is exempt from the provisions of this subsection provided that other licensed personnel perform the duties of this function.
(l) For residential health facilities with 15 beds or fewer, the director of nursing, assistant director of nursing, and/or nursing supervisor, while on duty, may also serve as nursing services direct caregivers as described in subsections (b) through (e) of this section.
(m) The educational requirements described above shall be met provided that if an insufficient pool of applicants exists, other qualifications may be deemed acceptable in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Department.