A series of unannounced inspections in 2024 by state health inspectors reveal a nurse staffing crisis at Waterbury Hospital. The findings are the latest in a string of problems at hospitals owned by private-equity funded Prospect Medical Holdings.
Currently, Waterbury Hospital, Manchester Memorial Hospital and Rockville General Hospital all face an uncertain future following the apparent collapse of a purchase deal with Yale New Haven Health.
According to inspection reports obtained by Connecticut Public, nurses at the intensive care unit at Waterbury Hospital were “concerned that the ICU is often inappropriately staffed which causes unsafe conditions, there are frequently unsafe staff assignments.”
The report says nurses at the hospital feel overwhelmed and that “they are not providing quality patient care,” the 2024 records showed.
“The RNs indicated that the ICU is staffed unsafely on most days, and not consistent with the hospital Staffing Plan, and staff is exhausted which leads them to call out for scheduled shifts,” the report states.
Records show the nurse absenteeism rate in the ICU was 31%, and to fill the gap, administrative staff stepped in with patient care.
Edmond Gadomski, the hospital’s nurses’ union representative, said nurses are working short-staffed and taking on bigger assignments than they should.
“So yes, they are burned out, [it] does increase the absenteeism in the hospital,” Gadomski said. “They’re not superheroes, there’s only so much that they can do. You’re taking care of 5,6,7 patients when you should be at a 1 to 4 cap.”
In a statement, Waterbury Hospital said it has been in compliance “with at least 80% of the nursing staffing assignments outlined in the hospital’s staffing plan, which is within DPH’s requirements,” and it is actively recruiting nurses, and adding traveler nurses to its rosters to provide additional help.
But Gadomski said the shortage is ongoing, despite records filed by the hospital with the DPH to the contrary.
“I have some departments at 50% vacancy rate, 33-to-40% vacancy rates, there's no way that they could be compliant,” he said. “And I have actually filed a violation or complaint myself in the DPH, so that they will investigate that fact.”
DPH declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
In addition, the hospital is looking into the use of an acuity tool through the electronic health records system to better align staffing with patient needs, the records showed.
A registered ICU nurse interviewed by the DPH approximately five hours into the shift said he was unable to titrate medications on patients for the shift due to the workload and acuity of the patients.
And a DPH inspection of the gastroenterology unit identified that the assistant director of gastroenterology and medical therapies was not a registered nurse, as required, and was not able to assist with care when the registered nurses needed help.
Prospect filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings Jan. 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Texas. Prospect does not own hospitals in Texas, but may have chosen that state as some debtors find Texas preferable in bankruptcy court, Chris Mattei, a former assistant U.S. attorney, told Connecticut Public.
