Delaware Nursing Homes: Violations, Fines and Worst Records

In federal fines per nursing home, Delaware ranks fourth nationwide. For per-home inspection citations that found resident harm or immediate danger, it ranks seventh. Since September 2023, regulators have imposed $2,970,511 in federal fines on 32 of the state's 44 nursing homes, according to the federal nursing home data that CMS, the federal Medicare agency, publishes. Issued in September 2023 to Pike Creek Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Wilmington, the biggest single federal fine of that period came to $263,388.

In Delaware, accident hazards and supervision led all citations for resident harm over the last three inspection cycles: 66 times in total, with 39 involving harm or immediate danger. Those same federal records show facilities statewide reporting an average of 4.35 hours of nursing staff time per resident each day, higher than the nationwide average of 3.86 hours. Those 44 homes also saw 41.3% of their nursing staff leave in a year on average; the nationwide figure was 45.8%.

The DHCQ Survey Reports for Nursing Homes and Intermediate Care Facilities page lets families read the latest survey reports, both annual and complaint-based, for every Delaware nursing home, and it also carries federal and state deficiency findings posted by the state. Each of the 44 homes is listed on Medicare Care Compare too; that federal search site was once called Nursing Home Compare, and its listings open every inspection report, the Form CMS-2567, titled a statement of deficiencies.

Anyone may report unsafe care by phoning the Delaware Division of Health Care Quality at 1-877-453-0012 or by using its abuse reporting page online. For an advocate, residents and families can contact the Delaware Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program at 1-855-773-1002; the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services hosts the program. Adult Protective Services also takes reports of suspected abuse or neglect involving a vulnerable adult in the state, at 1-888-277-4302 (1-888-APS-4302).