Homes where the federal record contains at least one of the following: a CMS abuse icon, Special Focus
Facility status or candidacy, or a citation scored at actual harm or immediate jeopardy. Ordered with
Special Focus homes first.
Read this as a prompt, not a verdict. A citation can be years old and the management
responsible may have gone. It means you ask what happened and what changed, and you get a specific answer
before you sign anything.
Wilmington Nursing & Rehabilitation Center carries 101 deficiencies on its current record, and the ones that matter most are hard to look past: 12 at the harm or jeopardy level, 5 tied to abuse. CMS has placed it in the Special Focus Facility program, which is reserved for homes with a persistent pattern of serious problems, and three fines total $408,742. Staffing sits at 3.71 nurse hours per resident day, about 4% under the national average, and weekends run roughly 11% leaner than weekdays. The one number that runs the other way is turnover at 31% against a 45.8% national average. Its last inspection was December 2025.
Encore At Parkside has 53 deficiencies on its current record, three of them at the harm or jeopardy level and two tied to abuse. That's the number that matters most here, because CMS has placed the home in its Special Focus Facility program, a designation reserved for homes with a persistent pattern of serious problems. The inspection star rating sits at 1 out of 5, and the last survey was in January 2026. Nurse staffing runs 3.51 hours per resident day, about 9% under the national average, with weekends roughly 14% thinner than weekdays. Staff turnover is 38.9%, better than the 45.8% national figure, and ownership changed within the past year.
Pike Creek runs 177 certified beds under individual for-profit ownership, and its staffing sits at 3.88 nurse hours per resident day, barely a hair above the national average of 3.86. That thin margin matters less than what happens on weekends, when coverage drops roughly 8% below the home's own weekday levels, and turnover runs at 45.3%, almost exactly the national rate. The real problems show up in inspections: a 1-out-of-5 health inspection rating, 97 deficiencies on the current record including 6 at harm or jeopardy level and 8 tied to abuse, plus $484,596 in fines across two penalties. CMS has placed it in the Special Focus Facility program, which is reserved for homes with a persistent record of serious problems.
State-run and sitting in Smyrna, this home has 175 certified beds and a nursing staff that's roughly two and a half times the national average, 10.25 hours per resident day against 3.86. Turnover runs 17.5%, well under the national 45.8%, though weekend coverage dips about 17% below its own weekday level. Those numbers sit alongside a harder fact: 11 deficiencies on the current record, three of them serious enough to put residents at risk of harm, plus two fines totaling $59,947, and CMS has placed the home in its Special Focus Facility program. The last inspection was January 9, 2026.
New Castle Health and Rehabilitation Center holds 120 certified beds and is run by a for-profit corporation. Staffing sits at 3.82 nurse hours per resident day, just under the national average, and weekends run about 10 percent lighter than weekdays, a gap families often notice when they visit on Saturdays and Sundays. The inspection record is where the trouble concentrates: 47 deficiencies, including 3 at harm or jeopardy level and 7 tied to abuse, with $47,300 in fines and placement in CMS's Special Focus Facility program. Turnover, at 45.6 percent, is essentially the national norm, so the problem isn't retention, it's what inspections keep finding.
Cadia Rehabilitation Broadmeadow runs 120 certified beds in Middletown under for-profit LLC ownership, and its staffing sits right at the national mark, 3.88 nurse hours per resident day against 3.86, with weekend coverage dropping roughly 8% below weekday levels and turnover at 44.9%, slightly better than the 45.8% national figure. That's respectable on paper. What the paper also shows is a health inspection rating of 1 out of 5, 41 deficiencies on the current record, five of them at harm or jeopardy level and six tied to abuse allegations, plus $79,126 in fines across two penalties. CMS has placed it in the Special Focus Facility program, and the most recent inspection closed January 30, 2026.
Excelcare At Wilmington runs 150 certified beds under corporate ownership, and its staffing sits just under the national average at 3.83 nurse hours per resident day. Weekends dip roughly 9% below weekday coverage, though its 34.9% turnover is better than the 45.8% national figure. The real concern is the inspection record: 22 deficiencies, including one at the harm or jeopardy level and four tied to abuse, plus a $38,290 fine. A March 2025 inspection is recent, and the two-star health inspection rating reflects those findings. Quality measures score well, but a family should ask directly how those abuse-related citations were resolved.
Regal Heights runs 172 certified beds under corporate ownership in Hockessin, and the staffing numbers are the strongest thing it has going. Nurse hours per resident day sit essentially at the national average, and weekend coverage dips only about 5% below weekdays, which is a narrower gap than many homes manage. Turnover is 41.7%, slightly better than the 45.8% national figure. The trouble is everything else: a 2-out-of-5 health inspection rating, 65 deficiencies on the current record including 4 at harm or jeopardy level and 9 tied to abuse, plus three fines totaling $46,999. Staffing can hold a building together, but it doesn't erase an inspection history like that.
Regency Healthcare & Rehab Center is a for-profit LLC home in Wilmington with 100 beds, and its recent inspection history is the first thing to notice: 19 deficiencies on record, including two at the harm or jeopardy level and five tied to abuse. Two fines totaling $77,867 have been levied. Staffing sits at 3.74 nurse hours per resident day, about 3% under the national average, and weekends run roughly 8% leaner than weekdays. Annual turnover of 63.8% is well above the 45.8% national figure, which matters because consistent caregivers know residents' routines. The most recent inspection was July 2025, so the picture is current.
Excelcare At Lewes runs 179 certified beds under for-profit LLC ownership, and the numbers tell a mixed story. Nurse staffing sits at 3.89 hours per resident day, just barely above the national average of 3.86, though weekends run about 5% lighter than weekdays, worth asking about if your family visits then. The bigger concern is the inspection record: 46 deficiencies, including 2 at harm or jeopardy level and 8 tied to abuse, with two fines totaling $106,560. Staff turnover of 45.7% is essentially the national average. The last inspection was February 2026. Quality measures score well, but the inspection history is what's dragging this home's overall picture down.
Ocean Grove Post Acute runs 181 beds under for-profit LLC ownership, and its inspection history is the weak spot: 71 deficiencies on the current record, including 4 abuse-related citations, though none rose to actual harm or jeopardy. That record earned a 2 out of 5 on CMS health inspections. Staffing tells a different story, 3.69 nurse hours per resident day sits about 4% under the national average, and weekends drop roughly 9% below the home's own weekday levels, so coverage thins when families tend to visit. Turnover at 36.1% is meaningfully better than the 45.8% national figure, which matters for consistency of care. The last inspection was July 2025, so the picture is current.
Kutz Rehabilitation And Nursing has real staffing depth, 5.15 nurse hours per resident day, about a third more than the national average, and that's the strongest thing it has going for it. But the compliance record is heavy: 61 deficiencies, four of them at harm or jeopardy level and nine tied to abuse, plus two fines totaling $168,019. Staff turnover sits at 75.3% against a national 45.8%, meaning most of the people providing that generous staffing are new or on their way out, and weekend coverage drops about 17% below weekday levels. The 1-out-of-5 inspection rating fits that picture. Ask about the abuse findings and who's actually on the floor on Saturdays.
Gilpin Hall runs on a nonprofit model with 96 beds, and its staffing is the clearest strength here: 4.95 nurse hours per resident day, about 28% above the national average, with a 5/5 staffing rating and turnover at 27.8% versus 45.8% nationally. Weekend coverage dips roughly 9% below weekday levels, which matters if your visits or care concerns cluster around Saturdays and Sundays. The harder question is the inspection record, 23 deficiencies on file, 7 of them abuse-related, none at the harm or jeopardy level, and the most recent inspection was August 2025. Strong staffing and a thin inspection history can coexist; ask what those abuse citations involved before deciding.
The Delaware Veterans Home runs on unusually heavy nurse staffing, 7.08 hours per resident day, roughly 83% above the national figure, and its quality measure and staffing ratings both come back at the top of CMS's scale. That's the case for the place. The case against sits in the inspection record: 21 deficiencies, two of them serious enough to involve harm or jeopardy, three tied to abuse, and $118,757 in fines across two penalties. Staff turnover runs 54%, above the national average, and weekend coverage drops about 11% from weekday levels. The most recent inspection was March 2026. Strong day-to-day care numbers, a troubled survey history, and a workforce that keeps changing.
Newark Manor runs on a for-profit, individually owned model, and its staffing is the strongest part of the picture: 4.27 nurse hours per resident day, about 11% above the national average, which is why it earns top marks on that measure alone. The catch is that weekends run roughly 13% thinner than weekdays, so coverage can shift depending on when you visit. Turnover sits at 32.8%, lower than the national 45.8%, which suggests a relatively stable crew. But the health inspection record is weaker, 26 deficiencies, including three tied to abuse and two at the harm level, with the last inspection in January 2024. Good staffing, real compliance problems.