Failure to Ensure Proper Training and Competency of Dietary Staff
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that dietary staff were properly trained, which had the potential to affect all 73 residents. At the time of the survey, the facility did not have a dietary manager, as the previous manager had left two to three weeks prior. Training for new dietary staff was being conducted by more senior workers rather than a qualified dietary manager. The facility also lacked a policy and procedure related to required dietary staff training. Observations revealed that dietary staff were not following proper procedures for hand hygiene and dishwashing, such as not changing gloves between handling dirty and clean dishes and not sanitizing pans for the required amount of time. Interviews with staff indicated confusion and inconsistency regarding proper dishwashing and sanitizing procedures. For example, one dietary aide instructed a new employee to use the sanitizer sink incorrectly and did not ensure that items were sanitized for the appropriate duration. Another staff member confirmed that hands should be washed when moving from dirty to clean dishes, but this was not observed in practice. The facility's own dish machine operation policy requires clean, washed hands to handle clean dishes, but this was not followed during the survey.