Quick answer: Nursing home neglect in San Francisco is the failure to provide the care a resident needs to stay safe: repositioning, feeding, hydration, hygiene, supervision, and medical care. Under California's Elder Abuse Act (Welfare and Institutions Code 15610.57), serious neglect can carry attorney's fees and enhanced damages. Document what you see, request the chart, and call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free review.
But neglect happens to individuals, not to city averages, and a couple of the city's homes carry serious records: heavy fines, repeat penalties, and in one case a CMS abuse flag. If your family saw the warning signs, the city's strong overall picture is not a reason to doubt what you saw.
If your loved one was neglected or harmed in a San Francisco nursing home, you may have a claim under California's Elder Abuse Act. Call (888) 999-0169 for a free, confidential consultation. We know the defense playbook because we spent years running it, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Nursing home records in San Francisco County
San Francisco County has 18 federally certified nursing facilities with 2,322 licensed beds. Since 1997, state inspectors have issued 130 citations against San Francisco County facilities, including 1 class AA citation and 28 class A citations. Facilities in the county have been assessed $649,560 in state penalties over that period.
A class AA citation is a class A violation that the Department of Public Health determined was a direct proximate cause of a resident's death. A class A citation is a violation the Department determined presented an imminent danger of death or serious harm to residents, or a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm would result.
17 of those enforcement actions were connected to a resident's death.
One San Francisco County facility currently carries the federal abuse warning icon.
The county's facilities average 4.3 of 5 stars on the federal rating system. 2 of 18 facilities hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
San Francisco County facilities have been assessed $296,624 in federal fines.
The most cited nursing homes in San Francisco County
- Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Ctr D/P SNF (56 citations)
- San Francisco Health Care (17 citations)
- City View Post Acute (15 citations)
See every facility in the county, with its full record, in the nursing home directory.
Citation data covers July 1, 1997 through June 30, 2024. Ratings and fines are current as of the CMS processing date shown above.
What the record shows in San Francisco
Neglect surfaces as the specific injuries we handle: bedsores, falls and fractures, dehydration and malnutrition, sepsis and infections, medication errors, wandering and elopement, and in some cases physical abuse.
In the CMS data, these are the county's nursing homes with the lowest overall CMS ratings. CMS gives San Francisco Health Care in San Francisco a 1 star overall rating and a 1 star health inspection rating, with a 4 star staffing rating. It carries 3.79 nursing hours per resident per day and $152,404 in federal fines across 2 federal penalties as well. City View Post Acute in San Francisco holds a 2 star overall rating and a 2 star health inspection rating, with a 3 star staffing rating. It carries 3.92 nursing hours per resident per day and $42,528 in federal fines across 1 federal penalty as well. In San Francisco, Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation Ctr D/P SNF holds a 3 star overall rating and a 2 star health inspection rating, with a 5 star staffing rating. It carries 5.83 nursing hours per resident per day, $55,499 in federal fines across 8 federal penalties and the federal abuse warning icon as well. Countywide, 2 of 18 homes hold a 1 or 2 star overall rating.
The individual home matters far more than the city average.
Review any home's full record in our San Francisco nursing home directory. For how California defines and proves neglect, see our California nursing home neglect page.
How San Francisco families can respond
Write down what you see, with dates and photos, and request the complete chart in writing, including care plans, weight logs, intake records, and repositioning sheets. File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health through Cal Health Find, or contact the San Francisco Long-Term Care Ombudsman (Felton Institute) at (415) 751-9788, or the state crisis line at (800) 231-4024 after hours. If your loved one is in immediate danger, contact San Francisco Adult Protective Services or call 911. Our full guide is here: how to report nursing home abuse in California.
Not sure whether what happened crosses the line into neglect? A short, free call can tell you. Call (888) 999-0169.
Why work with us
Michael Young and Thomas Wallin spent years defending nursing homes before switching sides. In the years since, they have recovered millions for California families in elder abuse and neglect cases. We know how neglect and abuse hide in a chart that says "care provided" when the state survey found otherwise, and at a home carrying repeat penalties and an abuse flag, the inspection findings and the resident's records are the first place we look. As San Francisco nursing home abuse lawyers, we handle these cases across the city and throughout California.
Talk to a San Francisco nursing home neglect lawyer today
Call (888) 999-0169 or send us a message for a free case evaluation. We serve families throughout San Francisco and all of California. We have recovered millions holding these facilities accountable, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Sources and authoritative references
- CMS Care Compare, the federal nursing home rating and inspection database: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/
- California Department of Public Health, Cal Health Find, to look up a facility or file a complaint: https://calhealthfind.cdph.ca.gov/
- California Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15600: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=15600.
- Neglect defined under California law, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.57: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=WIC§ionNum=15610.57.
Frequently asked questions
If San Francisco homes rate well, why would I need a lawyer?
Because a city average is not your parent's care. A couple of the city's homes carry heavy fines, repeat penalties, and an abuse flag, and even a well-rated home can fail one resident. If your loved one was harmed, the Elder Abuse Act protects them regardless of the city's overall picture.
What counts as nursing home neglect in California?
Neglect is the failure to provide the care a resident needs to stay safe and healthy: repositioning, feeding, hydration, hygiene, mobility, supervision, and medical care. Under California's Elder Abuse Act, serious neglect and abuse can carry attorney's fees and enhanced damages where they were reckless.
What should I do first if I suspect neglect?
Document what you see, request the chart in writing, and get an independent medical evaluation. Then talk to a lawyer, because the records that prove neglect are easiest to obtain early.
How many nursing homes are in San Francisco County?
San Francisco County has 18 federally certified nursing facilities with 2,322 licensed beds. Every one of them is listed in our San Francisco County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
Do San Francisco County nursing homes have citations for neglect?
State inspectors have issued 130 citations against San Francisco County nursing homes since 1997, across the full range of care failures rather than any single one. We do not publish a citation count by injury type, because the state does not categorize them that way. Check the specific home's own record instead. Every one of them is listed in our San Francisco County nursing home directory with its ratings, staffing, citations and fines.
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Disclaimer: facility ratings, fines, and the CMS abuse icon above are drawn from public CMS data (medicare.gov) as of the August 2026 processing date and are reported as published. They may not reflect the most current findings, and inclusion of any facility is not an allegation of wrongdoing. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case. This page is attorney advertising and not legal advice.