Failure to Include Food and Nutrition Services Staff in Care Conferences
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that a member of the food and nutrition services staff, as required by policy, attended care conferences for residents. Record reviews for four residents revealed that there was no documented evidence of food and nutrition services staff participation in care conferences, despite the facility's policy stating that the interdisciplinary team (IDT) must include such a member. Instead, the Director of Nursing (DON) was completing the dietary section of the care conference forms. Interviews with the Dietary Manager and Dietitian confirmed that dietary staff had not been attending care conferences due to staffing challenges. The Dietary Manager acknowledged past attendance but stated she had not been able to participate recently. The Dietitian also confirmed non-attendance and indicated that dietary staff should be present at these meetings. The Social Service Designee corroborated that no dietary staff had attended, and the DON was filling out the relevant sections instead. The affected residents had complex medical histories, including conditions such as COPD, dementia, schizophrenia, diabetes, and various cognitive impairments. Documentation for each resident showed that care conferences were held with other disciplines present, but not with food and nutrition services staff, as required. In some cases, there was also no evidence that the resident or their representative was invited to or participated in the care planning process.