Licensing and Certification Section

The purpose of licensing and certification of long term care facilities is to ensure that those facilities provide a high quality of care and quality of life to their residents. The Licensing and Certification Section is responsible for:

• Licensing long term care facilities to operate in Delaware
• Certifying nursing homes for Medicare and/or Medicaid in Delaware
• Determining and monitoring compliance with State and Federal long term care regulations and standards
• Conducting annual surveys and surprise inspections, including night and weekend visits
• Responding to complaints and incidents regarding quality of care, quality of life, and/or violations of resident's rights and
• Operating and maintaining the Delaware Nurse Aide Registry.

Facility Inspections

The Division of Health Care Quality issues a survey report to each long term care facility at the conclusion of the Division’s annual and/or complaint/incident surveys of the facility.  For annual (and some complaint/incident) inspections, nursing homes that are certified to receive Medicare and/or Medicaid are issued two reports, one for the Federal survey and one for the State survey.  Facilities that only have a State license receive just the State survey report.  For a copy of a survey report, please contact the Division’s New Castle County office.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has a website that gives detailed information about the past performance of every nursing home that is certified to receive Medicare and/or Medicaid.  The website, called Nursing Home Compare, is https://www.medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare/search.html?.

Glossary of Terms