State inspectors visited the Bishop Drumm Retirement Center in Johnston and spoke to residents who reported waiting 30 to 60 minutes for their call lights to be answered.
That was last April. When inspectors returned in July, the situation had worsened, with residents complaining of one- to two-hour waits. In September, inspectors were back, with residents saying the situation hadn’t improved.
A few weeks ago, inspectors returned to Bishop Drumm for a fourth visit and found the situation had only grown worse. Inadequate staffing was causing excessively long call-light responses; a dining room had been closed due to the lack of staff, forcing residents to eat in their rooms alone, and the home’s director of nursing was working the floor as a charge nurse despite federal regulations prohibiting the practice…