Failure to Employ Full-Time Dietitian or Dietary Manager in Food Service Operations
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to employ sufficient staff with the appropriate competencies and skill sets to carry out the functions of the food and nutrition service. Specifically, the facility did not have a full-time dietitian and did not designate a full-time, qualified dietetic supervisor or dietary manager during the period reviewed. Review of the Food and Nutrition Services schedules for February, March, and April 2025 showed that no dietary manager was working in the facility, and the Registered Dietitian (RD) was only present two days per week, working approximately 20 hours per week. Both the RD and another staff member confirmed that the RD was part-time and that there was no designated full-time dietary manager during this period. Facility policy required that if a dietitian is not employed full-time, a director of food and nutrition services must be designated. Additionally, state regulations mandate that a facility employing a part-time RD must also employ a full-time dietetic services supervisor. The lack of a full-time dietitian or a qualified full-time dietary manager had the potential to result in unsafe food practices and food-borne illness for the 38 residents consuming facility-prepared foods.