Failure to Ensure Proper Hand Hygiene During Meal Service and Laundry Distribution
Penalty
Summary
Staff failed to follow proper infection prevention and control practices during meal service and clean laundry distribution. During dining observations, a dietary aide was seen passing meal trays to multiple residents without performing hand hygiene between tray passes. The same aide also opened a trash can with her hand and then served drinks to residents without performing hand hygiene in between these tasks. The dietary aide later stated she was unaware that hand hygiene was required between resident tray passes or after touching dirty objects. The dietary manager confirmed that the expectation was for dietary aides to perform hand hygiene between each resident tray pass. Additionally, during clean laundry distribution, two housekeepers were observed entering and exiting multiple resident rooms, delivering clean clothing and placing items inside residents' closets without performing hand hygiene between rooms. Both housekeepers confirmed in interviews that they did not perform hand hygiene after entering and exiting each resident's room, with one stating uncertainty about when hand hygiene was required. The DON stated that the expectation was for all staff, including housekeeping, to perform hand hygiene before and after entering each resident's room.