Registered nurses and the Massachusetts Nurses Association have filed a fifth round of complaints against Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., to state and federal agencies, which include a direct appeal to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to place an on-site inspector at the hospital.
The complaints were filed in December, January, March, April, and May to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Division of Healthcare Quality, CMS, The Joint Commission, and the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing regarding ongoing concerns over patient care conditions deteriorating, according to a May 29 MNA news release.
Some of the top issues at hand include a growing number of patients acquiring pressure ulcers, known as bed sores, while at the hospital.
"...Pressure ulcers are mandated by the Joint Commission and the DPH as serious reportable events that signal problems in care management that need to be addressed," the complaint said. "Instead of addressing the systemic issue that prohibits the nurses from repositioning at-risk patients and minimizing the risk for soft tissue injury, nurses have been told that nursing leadership has threatened to fire every nurse who has cared for a particular patient whose ulcer advanced to a Stage IV wound while admitted to the hospital."
The complaint also detailed how staffing cuts on nearly every unit and floor of the hospital, part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, in the last few months have led to more than 900 patient care condition reports where patient safety is jeopardized. Many of the condition reports point to patients being forced to lay in their own feces and urine for hours, which can create "a breeding ground" for bed sores.
A spokesperson for Saint Vincent Hospital disputed the complaints, and shared how the state Department of Public Health and the Joint Commission conducted surveys earlier this year that did not find serious issues at the hospital.
"Saint Vincent Hospital proudly delivers high-quality care," the spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker's. "This has been substantiated by reputable third-party organizations and Saint Vincent has received numerous awards for its quality of care. Our hospital leadership quickly addressed areas of opportunities identified. We are focused on providing access to high-quality healthcare services, and will not allow the MNA's unfounded attempts to discredit our institution distract us from caring for our community."
Trained Massachusetts DPH staff review all incident reports submitted from a healthcare facility or complaints regarding a healthcare facility to determine if a further onsite investigation is needed, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts DPH said in a statement shared with Becker's.
"If survey staff identify areas of non-compliance with applicable federal and/or state requirements during any survey, DPH provides the facility with a written statement of deficiencies found during its investigation," the DPH statement said. "In response, the facility must file a plan of correction that addresses how and when each deficiency will be corrected to ensure patient safety and quality of care."